JP7308087B2 - SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-200001 discloses a substrate processing apparatus that forms a coating film on a substrate onto which a transfer pattern formed on a template is transferred.

JP 2012-227318 A

A technique according to the present disclosure efficiently transfers a transfer pattern onto a substrate in a substrate processing apparatus.

One aspect of the present disclosure is a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, wherein the substrate processing apparatus includes a loading/unloading area for loading/unloading the substrate and a processing area for processing the substrate. the processing area includes an area for transferring the shape to the substrate by pressing a mold of a desired shape against the substrate, and an area for cleaning the mold, wherein the substrate processing apparatus comprises a substrate supporting part for supporting the substrate on the upper surface; a supporting part moving mechanism for moving the substrate supporting part between the loading/unloading area and the processing area; a transfer unit having a shape mold; and a transfer unit for moving the transfer unit in the processing area between the transfer area and the cleaning area in a direction orthogonal to the movement direction of the substrate support unit. and a moving mechanism.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to efficiently transfer a transfer pattern onto a substrate in a substrate processing apparatus.

1 is a plan view schematically showing the outline of the configuration of a wafer processing system; FIG. It is a side view which shows the outline of a structure of a transfer apparatus typically. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the outline of the configuration of a transfer device; FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the outline of a structure of a board|substrate support part typically. It is (a) a front view (b) side view which shows the outline of a structure of a transfer part typically. FIG. 2 is a flow diagram showing main steps of transfer processing; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an outline of main steps of transfer processing; FIG. 11 is a plan view schematically showing the outline of the configuration of a transfer device according to another embodiment; FIG. 10 is a plan view schematically showing the outline of the configuration of a wafer processing system according to another embodiment;

For example, in the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, for example, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply referred to as "wafer") as a substrate is subjected to photolithography processing to form a resist pattern on the wafer.

When forming the above-described resist pattern, miniaturization of the resist pattern is required in order to achieve further high integration of semiconductor devices. Generally, the limit of miniaturization in photolithography processing is about the wavelength of light used in exposure processing. For this reason, conventionally, efforts have been made to shorten the wavelength of the light used in the exposure process. However, there are technical and cost limits to shortening the wavelength of the exposure light source, and it is difficult to form a fine resist pattern, for example, on the order of several nanometers, by using only the method of shortening the wavelength of light. be.

Therefore, instead of subjecting the wafer to photolithography, a method called imprinting is used to form a fine resist pattern on the wafer. In this method, a template having a desired resist pattern on its surface is pressed against the surface of a resist film formed on a wafer, then peeled off to transfer the pattern directly onto the surface of the resist film.

The substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Literature 1 is an apparatus for performing the imprint processing described above. However, the substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 has room for further improvement in terms of movement of the wafer within the substrate processing apparatus, transfer of the wafer within the imprint system including the substrate processing apparatus, and the like. rice field.

A technique according to the present disclosure efficiently transfers a transfer pattern onto a substrate in a substrate processing apparatus. A transfer apparatus as a substrate processing apparatus according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, thereby omitting redundant description.

A substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, wherein a loading/unloading area for loading/unloading the substrate and a processing area for processing the substrate are formed in the substrate processing apparatus. By pressing a mold having a desired shape against the substrate, the substrate processing apparatus has a region for transferring the shape to the substrate and a region for cleaning the mold, and the substrate processing apparatus supports the substrate on an upper surface. a substrate supporter that moves the substrate supporter between the loading/unloading area and the processing area; and a transfer unit that is provided in the processing area and has a mold of the desired shape on its lower surface. and a transfer section moving mechanism that moves the transfer section between the transfer area and the cleaning area in the processing area in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the substrate support section.

<Wafer processing system>
As shown in FIG. 1, a wafer processing system 1 includes, for example, a loading/unloading station 2 for loading/unloading a cassette C capable of accommodating a plurality of wafers W to/from the outside, and various processing devices for processing the wafers W. It has a configuration in which the provided processing station 3 is integrally connected.

The loading/unloading station 2 is provided with a cassette mounting table 10 . In the illustrated example, a plurality of, for example, four cassettes C can be placed on the cassette table 10 in a row in the X-axis direction. The number of cassettes C to be placed on the cassette placing table 10 is not limited to that of the present embodiment, and can be determined arbitrarily.

The loading/unloading station 2 is provided with a wafer transfer area 20 adjacent to the cassette mounting table 10 . The wafer transfer area 20 is provided with a wafer transfer device 22 which is movable on a transfer path 21 extending in the X-axis direction. The wafer transfer device 22 has a transfer arm 23 that holds and transfers the wafer W. As shown in FIG. The transfer arm 23 is configured to be movable in the horizontal direction, the vertical direction, and around the horizontal axis and around the vertical axis. It should be noted that the number and configuration of the transfer arms 23 are not limited to this, and may take any configuration.

In the processing station 3, a transfer device 30 for forming a desired pattern on the wafer W and a heat treatment device 40 for heat-treating the wafer W are arranged in the X-axis direction on the positive Y-axis side of the wafer transfer area 20. It is Note that the number and arrangement of the transfer devices 30 and the heat treatment devices 40 are not limited to the present embodiment, and can be determined arbitrarily. A detailed configuration of the transfer device 30 will be described later.

A controller 50 is provided in the wafer processing system 1 described above. The control device 50 is, for example, a computer and has a program storage unit (not shown). A program for controlling the processing of wafers W in wafer processing system 1 is stored in the program storage unit. The program storage unit also stores a program for controlling the operation of drive systems such as the various processing devices and transfer devices described above to realize wafer processing, which will be described later, in the wafer processing system 1 . The program storage unit also stores a program for realizing a transfer process, which will be described later, in the transfer device 30 . The program may be recorded in a computer-readable storage medium H and installed in the control device 50 from the storage medium H.

<Wafer processing in wafer processing system>
Next, wafer processing performed using the wafer processing system 1 configured as described above will be described.

In the wafer processing system 1 , first, a cassette C containing a plurality of wafers W is mounted on the cassette mounting table 10 of the loading/unloading station 2 .

Next, the wafer W in the cassette C is taken out by the wafer transfer device 22 and transferred to the transfer device 30 .

After applying the processing liquid onto the wafer W, the transfer device 30 presses a template having a pattern of a desired shape on the coated surface of the wafer W to which the processing liquid has been applied, thereby applying the pattern to the coated surface. A treatment film having a pattern transferred thereon is formed. A detailed method of a transfer processing method as a substrate processing method in the transfer device 30 will be described later.

After the desired pattern is transferred onto the wafer W in the transfer device 30 , the wafer W in the transfer device 30 is taken out by the wafer transfer device 22 and transferred to the heat treatment device 40 .

In the heat treatment apparatus 40, the wafer W having the pattern transferred thereon is heat-treated to harden the treated film having the pattern formed thereon.

After that, the wafer W that has undergone all the processes is taken out from the heat treatment device 40 by the wafer transfer device 22 and transferred to the cassette C on the cassette mounting table 10 . Thus, a series of wafer processing in the wafer processing system 1 is completed.

<Transfer device>
Next, a detailed configuration of the transfer device 30 will be described. 2 and 3 are a side view and a plan view, respectively, schematically showing the outline of the configuration of the transfer device 30. FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the transfer device 30 is provided with a stage 100 having a horizontal surface. On the stage 100, a loading/unloading area 30a (X-axis direction negative direction side) and a processing area 30b (X-axis direction positive direction side) are formed. A transfer region 30c (Y-axis direction negative direction side) and a cleaning inspection region 30d (Y-axis direction positive direction side) are formed in the processing region 30b.

The upper surface of the stage 100 is provided with a substrate supporting portion 110 that supports the wafer W on its upper surface. The substrate support part 110 supports the wafer W in a state where the surface Wa to be processed of the wafer W faces upward.

Further, the substrate supporting portion 110 is configured to be movable in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) along the transport path 111a by a moving mechanism 111 (for example, an air cylinder) as a supporting portion moving mechanism. The moving mechanism 111 allows the wafer W supported by the substrate supporting section 110 to move freely between the loading/unloading area 30a and the processing area 30b.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing the outline of the configuration of the substrate supporting portion 110. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the substrate support section 110 has a chuck 112 that holds the wafer W on its upper surface. The chuck 112 has an area equal to or larger than that of the wafer W in plan view. The chuck 112 has a horizontal upper surface, and the upper surface is provided with a suction port (not shown) for sucking the wafer W, for example. The entire surface of the wafer W can be sucked and held on the chuck 112 by performing suction from such a suction port.

Further, the substrate supporting portion 110 has a chuck mark 113 serving as a reference position for aligning the wafer W in a transfer process described later, and a tilt adjustment groove 114 for adjusting the tilt (parallelism) of a template 141 described later. , are formed. Note that the arrangement of the chuck marks 113 and the tilt adjustment grooves 114 is not limited to the illustrated example, and can be arbitrarily determined.

Above the substrate support section 110 in the loading/unloading area 30a, a prealignment camera 120 as a mark detection section for performing prealignment of the wafer W transferred onto the chuck 112 by the wafer transfer device 22 is arranged in the Y-axis direction. Two are set side by side. The pre-alignment camera 120 is provided, for example, on a frame (not shown) constructed above the stage 100 . Note that the number and arrangement of the pre-alignment cameras 120 provided in the transfer device 30 are not limited to the present embodiment, and can be determined arbitrarily.

A dispenser 130 as an application section and a transfer section 140 are provided in the processing area 30b. The dispenser 130 and the transfer section 140 are provided on a frame 150 extending in the Y-axis direction.

The dispenser 130 supplies the processing liquid S to the wafer W supported on the chuck 112 . As the treatment liquid S, for example, UV light emitted from the light irradiation unit 142 described later or a liquid hardened by heat treatment by the heat treatment device 40 (for example, a resist liquid) is used.

The dispenser 130 is configured to be movable in the horizontal direction (Y-axis direction) along the transport path 151a by a moving mechanism 151 (for example, an air cylinder) as a coating portion moving mechanism. The moving mechanism 151 allows the dispenser 130 to move between the transfer area 30c and the cleaning inspection area 30d. In addition, the dispenser 130 is configured to be vertically movable by an elevating mechanism (not shown).

In the example of FIG. 3, a plurality of, for example, three dispensers 130 are arranged in the Y-axis direction on the frame 150, and each dispenser 130 is independently movable in the Y-axis direction by a moving mechanism 151. Note that the number of dispensers 130 arranged in the transfer device 30 is not limited to this embodiment, and can be determined arbitrarily.

A coating unit cleaning mechanism 131 is provided below the dispenser 130 in the cleaning inspection area 30d. In the coating unit cleaning mechanism 131, the dispenser 130 after coating the wafer W with the processing liquid S is cleaned, and dummy dispensing of the dispenser 130 is performed.

The transfer unit 140 forms a desired pattern on the wafer W. FIG. The transfer section 140 is configured to be movable in the horizontal direction (Y-axis direction) along the transport path 152a by a transfer mechanism 152 (for example, an air cylinder) as a transfer section movement mechanism. With such a moving mechanism 152, the transfer section 140 is configured to be movable between the transfer area 30c and the cleaning inspection area 30d.

FIG. 5 is (a) a front view and (b) a side view schematically showing the outline of the configuration of the transfer unit 140. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the transfer unit 140 includes a template 141 as a mold on which a pattern of a desired shape is formed, a light irradiation unit 142, a template holding unit 143, an alignment camera 144, and a height detector. and a displacement gauge 145 as a unit. The light irradiation section 142 and the template 141 are arranged in this order on the lower surface of the template holding section 143 . The alignment camera 144 and the displacement meter 145 are arranged on the side surface of the template holder 143 respectively. As shown in FIG. 5B, the template holder 143 has a drive mechanism 146 and is configured to be movable in the rotational direction and the vertical direction. ing. The top plate portion 148 is connected to the moving mechanism 152 already described.

A desired transfer pattern T is formed on the bottom surface of the template 141 . Two or more transfer patterns T may be formed on the bottom surface of the template 141 . Then, the transfer pattern T is transferred to the processing liquid S on the wafer W by pressing the template 141 from above against the processing liquid S applied onto the surface Wa of the wafer W to be processed. A plurality of template marks (not shown) are formed on the bottom surface of the template 141 for adjusting the horizontal position of the template 141 .

The template 141 is formed in the size of the shot area when transferring the pattern onto the wafer W as shown in FIG. Here, the “shot” refers to a region irradiated with light at one time when a pattern is transferred to the entire wafer W by irradiating the wafer W a plurality of times while scanning the light irradiation unit 142 over the wafer W. say. Each shot area partially overlaps the adjacent shot area. Note that the template 141 is made of a transparent material, such as quartz glass, through which the light emitted from the light irradiation unit 142 can pass.

The light irradiation unit 142 irradiates the processing liquid S supplied onto the wafer W and pressed by the template 141 with light. Light from the light irradiation unit 142 passes through the template 141 and is irradiated downward. In the present embodiment, ultraviolet (UV) light is used as the light emitted from the light emitting unit 142, but other light such as visible light or near-ultraviolet light may be used. Then, the treatment liquid S is UV-cured by being irradiated with UV light from the light irradiation unit 142, and the treatment film M in a semi-cured state is formed. The semi-cured treatment film M is completely cured by heat treatment by the heat treatment device 40 described above.

The template holding portion 143 has a spherical bearing 143a and is configured to be slidable in the spherical direction. The spherical bearing 143a is connected to a suction mechanism (not shown), and the inclination direction can be fixed by suction by the suction mechanism.

Further, the template holder 143 has a drive mechanism 146 . As shown in FIG. 5B, the drive mechanism 146 includes an elevating mechanism 146a as a transfer unit elevating mechanism that adjusts the height direction position of the template 141 based on the control value output from the displacement meter 145, and an alignment camera. It has a rotation mechanism 146 b that adjusts the rotation direction position of the template 141 based on the correction value output from 144 .

The lifting mechanism 146a has, for example, a DD motor, and is configured to move the template 141 held by the template holding portion 143 up and down along the slider 146c.

The rotating mechanism 146b has, for example, a DD motor, and is configured to rotate the template 141 freely.

With such a configuration, when the template 141 is lowered by the elevating mechanism 146a and pressed against the tilt adjustment groove 114, the template 141 follows the inclination of the substrate supporting portion 110 and slides in the spherical direction of the spherical bearing 143a. Parallelism with the wafer W held on 112 can be adjusted.

Alignment camera 144 captures an image of a plurality of wafer marks (not shown) formed on wafer W from above, and determines the horizontal position (X-axis position, Y-axis position) of wafer W supported on chuck 112 . , rotational position). Further, the alignment camera 144 captures an image of the chuck mark 113 from above to calculate the amount of horizontal positional deviation from the template recognition camera 161 described later, and also to determine the separation distance L between the template 141 and the alignment camera 144. calculate.

Further, a correction value for adjusting the amount of horizontal misalignment between the wafer W and the template 141 is calculated based on the results of detection by the alignment camera 144 and a template recognition camera 161 which will be described later. The calculated correction value is output to the control device 50 .

The displacement gauge 145 manages gaps in the transfer pattern formed on the wafer W. FIG. Specifically, the height direction position of the template 141 is controlled so that the thickness of the transfer pattern formed on the wafer is uniform within the plane of the wafer W. FIG. A management value of the height direction position of the template 141 obtained by the displacement meter 145 is output to the control device 50 .

In the cleaning inspection area 30d, a template recognition camera 161, a template cleaning unit 162 as a cleaning unit, a release agent supply unit 163, and a template inspection camera 164 as an inspection unit are arranged in this order from the Y-axis direction negative direction side. there is

The template recognition camera 161 captures and detects a plurality of template marks (not shown) formed on the lower surface of the template 141 from below, and detects the horizontal position of the template 141 (X-axis position, Y-axis position, position in the rotational direction). The template recognition camera 161 also captures and recognizes the chuck mark 113 from below, thereby calculating the amount of horizontal positional deviation from the alignment camera 144 .

A template cleaning unit 162 cleans the template 141 .

The release agent supply unit 163 applies a release agent to the transfer pattern formation surface of the template 141 .

The template inspection camera 164 performs appearance inspection by imaging the template 141 . That is, for example, it is inspected whether the template 141 is damaged or not, and whether the processing liquid S or the cleaning liquid remains in the template 141 .

The transfer device 30 as a processing device according to this embodiment is configured as described above. Next, a method of transfer processing performed using the transfer device 30 will be described.

<Transfer processing method>
6 and 7 are a flow chart and an explanatory diagram, respectively, showing main steps of the transfer process.

In the transfer process according to the present embodiment, first, the wafer W is loaded into the transfer device 30 by the wafer transport device 22 and transferred onto the chuck 112 of the substrate support section 110 located in the loading/unloading area 30a (FIG. 6 step P1).

After the wafer W is transferred onto the chuck 112, pre-alignment of the wafer W is subsequently performed (step P2 in FIG. 6). In pre-alignment, a plurality of wafer marks formed on wafer W are detected as coordinate positions by pre-alignment camera 120 as shown in FIG. , the horizontal position of the wafer W (X-axis position, Y-axis position, rotational position) is adjusted.

When the pre-alignment of the wafer W is completed, the substrate supporter 110 is moved by the moving mechanism 111 so that the tilt adjustment groove 114 is arranged below the template 141 . Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 7B, the template 141 is pressed against the tilt adjusting groove 114 by the lifting mechanism 146a. At this time, the spherical bearing 143a of the template holding portion 143 is slidable along the spherical surface by stopping the operation of the suction mechanism. As a result, the tilt of the template 141 is adjusted so that the template 141 and the tilt adjustment groove 114 are parallel, that is, the template 141 and the wafer W held on the chuck 112 are parallel (see FIG. 6). step P3).

At this time, the displacement meter 145 measures the height when the template 141 is pressed against the tilt adjustment groove 114 . Then, the height at this time is set as the zero-point height (reference height) and output to the control device 50 (step P3 in FIG. 6).

Subsequently, the substrate supporter 110 is moved so that the alignment camera 144 is arranged above the wafer W by the moving mechanism 111 . Then, as shown in FIG. 7C, by detecting a plurality of wafer marks (not shown) formed on the wafer W by the alignment camera 144, the horizontal position of the wafer W (X-axis position, Y Axial position, rotational position) are detected as coordinate positions (step P4 in FIG. 6).

Subsequently, the substrate supporting section 110 is moved by the moving mechanism 111 so that the template recognition camera 161 is arranged below the chuck mark 113 . Then, as shown in FIG. 7D, the template recognition camera 161 detects a plurality of template marks (not shown) formed on the lower surface of the template 141 through the chuck marks 113, thereby detecting the template 141 relative to the wafer W. is detected as a coordinate position (X-axis position, Y-axis position, rotation direction position) (step P5 in FIG. 6).

Here, by comparing the coordinate position of the wafer W detected in step P4 and the coordinate position of the template 141 detected in step P5, the amount of horizontal deviation between the wafer W and the template 141 is calculated. Then, the wafer W and the template 141 are aligned in the horizontal direction based on the calculated deviation amount (step P6 in FIG. 6).

After the alignment of the wafer W and the template 141 has been performed, the processing liquid S is then poured onto the wafer W from the dispenser 130 as shown in FIG. is supplied (step P7 in FIG. 6). The processing liquid S is applied to each area on the wafer W where the pattern is transferred by the template 141 at one time, that is, to each shot area.

Here, in the transfer device 30 , the substrate supporting portion 110 is movable in the X-axis direction by the moving mechanism 111 , and the dispenser 130 is movable in the Y-axis direction by the moving mechanism 151 . Thereby, the processing liquid S can be appropriately supplied to the entire surface of the wafer W held on the chuck 112 .

Moreover, as described above, a plurality of, for example, three dispensers 130 are provided side by side in the Y-axis direction. As a result, the time required for the dispensing process of supplying the processing liquid S onto the wafer W can be shortened.

The processing liquid S may be supplied onto the wafer W for each shot area as described above, or the processing liquid S may be supplied to the entire surface of the wafer W first.

After the processing liquid S is supplied to the wafer W, one shot area coated with the processing liquid S is arranged below the template 141 based on the coordinate position obtained by the alignment in step P6. , the substrate support part 110 is moved.

Subsequently, the template 141 is lowered by the elevating mechanism 146a based on the reference height output in step P3, and the template 141 is lowered with the pressing amount (pressing height) for transferring the desired transfer pattern T. press against. Then, as shown in FIG. 7F, UV light is irradiated from the light irradiation unit 142 toward the treatment liquid S in this state. As a result, the treatment liquid S in the shot area irradiated with the UV light is semi-cured to form the treatment film M, and the predetermined pattern formed on the template 141 is transferred to the treatment film M (see FIG. 6). Step P8).

Here, in the transfer device 30, it is necessary to form the transfer pattern T on the entire surface of the wafer W by repeating pressing of the template 141 and irradiation of UV light for each shot area supplied with the processing liquid S. However, if the next shot area is transferred while the treatment liquid S or treatment film M remains on the surface of the template 141, the transfer pattern T may not be properly formed in the next shot area.

Therefore, when the transfer processing of one shot area in step P8 is completed, next, the transfer unit 140 is moved by the moving mechanism 152 to the cleaning inspection area 30d. Then, as shown in FIG. 7G, the cleaning of the template 141 by the template cleaning unit 162 and the supply of the release agent to the template 141 by the release agent supply unit 163 are sequentially performed (step P9 in FIG. 6). At this time, the substrate supporting section 110 may be on standby in the transfer area 30c, or may be retracted to the loading/unloading area 30a.

After the template 141 is washed and the release agent is supplied to the cleaning surface by the release agent supply unit 163, the appearance of the template 141 is inspected by the template inspection camera 164 as shown in FIG. 7(h). (step P10 in FIG. 6). That is, it is inspected whether the template 141 is damaged by the transfer process and whether the template 141 is properly cleaned.

When the appearance inspection determines that there is no abnormality in the template 141, as shown in FIG. Steps P9 and P10) in FIG. 6) are repeated.

When the transfer processing for all shot areas is completed, a series of transfer processing in the transfer device 30 is completed.

According to the transfer apparatus 30 as the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, the substrate support section 110, the dispenser 130, and the transfer section 140 can be independently moved by the moving mechanism, so that the process flow line in the apparatus can be reduced. can be optimized. That is, the transfer pattern T can be transferred onto the wafer W efficiently.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since the dispenser 130, the template 141, and the light irradiation unit 142 are provided inside one transfer device 30, the treatment liquid S is supplied, pressed, and processed inside the transfer device 30. The formation of membrane M can be completed. That is, since there is no need to transfer the wafer W between a plurality of apparatuses, the time required for the transfer process can be shortened more appropriately.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the template 141 is shaped to have the size of the shot area.

In general, a template on which a transfer pattern is formed is formed to have a size approximately the same as the diameter of the wafer W as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200313. Here, if a portion of the transfer pattern formed on the template is damaged, it is difficult to repair only the damaged portion. had to replace.

Moreover, when molding a new template, it is necessary to form a precise transfer pattern on the entire surface of the template, and remolding the template requires a great deal of cost and time.

On the other hand, since the template 141 according to the present embodiment is molded in the size of the shot area, it is possible to reduce the cost and time required for remolding as described above.

As described above, the template 141 needs to be cleaned by the template cleaning unit 162 each time the transfer process is performed. However, when the transfer process and the cleaning process are alternately repeated in this manner, it takes time to obtain a desired pattern on the entire surface of the wafer W. As shown in FIG.

Therefore, the transfer device 30 may be provided with a plurality of transfer units 140 as shown in FIG. In such a case, the template 141 can be cleaned in the other transfer unit 140 while the wafer W is being transferred in the one transfer unit 140 . Since the cleaning process and the transfer process can be performed in parallel in this manner, the transfer process in the transfer device 30 can be performed more efficiently.

When a plurality of transfer units 140 are provided in this way, it is desirable to provide a plurality of template cleaning units 162 , release agent supply units 163 and template inspection cameras 164 in accordance with the number of transfer units 140 . However, the configuration of the transfer device 30 is not limited to this, and a plurality of transfer units 140 are configured to be able to access the same template cleaning unit 162, release agent supply unit 163, and template inspection camera 164, respectively. good too.

Also, the templates 141 provided in the respective transfer units 140 may have the same transfer pattern T, or may have different transfer patterns T. As shown in FIG.

In the above embodiment, the supply of the processing liquid S onto the wafer W by the dispenser 130 is performed by determining the position of the shot area based on the coordinate position detected in the pre-alignment performed in step P2 of FIG. rice field. That is, the supply of the treatment liquid S by the dispenser 130 does not necessarily have to be performed after the alignment process (step P7 in FIG. 6) as shown in FIGS. It can be done at any time after

Further, for example, the application of the treatment liquid by the dispenser 130 may be performed outside the transfer device 30 . That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, the processing station 3 of the wafer processing system 1 includes a coating device 230 having a dispenser 130 therein, a transfer device 30, a heat treatment device 30, and a coating device 230 provided inside the wafer transfer area 20 on the Y-axis positive direction side. The devices 40 may be arranged side by side in the X-axis direction. In addition, the number and arrangement of the coating devices 230 are not limited to the present embodiment, and can be arbitrarily determined.

In such a case, the wafer W whose surface is supplied with the treatment liquid S in the coating device 230 is transferred to the transfer device 30 by the wafer transfer device 22 and subjected to transfer processing in the transfer device 30 . The treated film M is cured.

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The above-described embodiments may be omitted, substituted, or modified in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

Note that the following configuration also belongs to the technical scope of the present disclosure.
(1) A substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate,
The substrate processing apparatus includes
a loading/unloading area for loading/unloading the substrate;
a processing region for performing processing on the substrate;
The substrate processing apparatus is
a substrate support that supports the substrate on the upper surface;
a support portion moving mechanism for moving the substrate support portion between the loading/unloading area and the processing area;
a transfer unit provided in the processing area and having a mold of a desired shape on the lower surface;
a transfer section moving mechanism that moves the transfer section in the processing area in a direction perpendicular to the movement direction of the substrate support section.
According to (1) above, the transfer pattern can be efficiently transferred onto the substrate in the substrate processing apparatus.

(2) a coating unit provided in the processing area for supplying a processing liquid onto the substrate;
The substrate processing apparatus according to (1) above, further comprising: a coating section moving mechanism that moves the coating section in the processing area in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the substrate supporting section.
According to the above (2), since the processing liquid can be supplied to the substrate and the transfer can be performed inside one substrate processing apparatus, the transfer in the substrate processing apparatus can be performed more efficiently.

(3) The substrate processing apparatus according to (2), further comprising a mark detection unit provided in the loading/unloading area and configured to detect coordinate positions of a plurality of marks formed on the substrate.

(4) The substrate processing apparatus according to (3), wherein the operation of the coating section is controlled based on the coordinate position detected by the mark detection section.

(5) a height detection unit provided in the processing area for detecting a height position of the transfer unit;
The substrate according to any one of (1) to (4) above, further comprising: a transfer section elevating mechanism that vertically moves the transfer section in the processing area based on the measurement result of the height detection section. processing equipment.

(6) The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the transfer unit further includes a light irradiation unit that irradiates light toward the substrate supported by the substrate support unit. .
According to the above (6), the processing liquid can be further irradiated with light to form the processing film inside one substrate processing apparatus, so that the transfer in the substrate processing apparatus can be performed more efficiently. can be done.

(7) The substrate processing apparatus according to (6), wherein the light is UV light.

(8) The substrate processing apparatus according to (6) or (7), wherein the mold is formed in a shot size that allows the light irradiation unit to irradiate the light at once.
According to (8) above, it is possible to reduce the time and cost required for repairing the transfer section.

(9) The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (8), further comprising an inspection unit provided in the processing area and performing an appearance inspection of the transfer unit.

(10) The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (9), wherein the loading/unloading area and the processing area are formed on the same stage.

(11) The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (10), wherein a plurality of transfer units and transfer unit moving mechanisms are provided in the processing area.
According to (11) above, since the molds of the other transfer units can be cleaned while the transfer processing is being performed in one transfer unit, the transfer in the substrate processing apparatus can be performed more efficiently.

(12) A substrate processing method for processing a substrate by a substrate processing apparatus,
The substrate processing apparatus includes
a loading/unloading area for loading/unloading the substrate;
a processing region for performing processing on the substrate;
In the processing area,
a step of pressing a transfer part having a mold of a desired shape on the lower surface against the treatment liquid applied surface of the substrate;
and irradiating the processing liquid with light while the mold is being pressed.

(13) Prior to the step of pressing the transfer portion against the coating surface,
The substrate processing method according to (12) above, comprising supplying a processing liquid to the substrate in the processing region to form the coating surface.

(14) The substrate processing method according to (13) above, including the step of detecting coordinate positions of a plurality of alignment marks formed on the substrate in the loading/unloading area.

(15) The substrate processing method according to (14), wherein the step of forming the coated surface is performed based on the coordinate position.

(16) The substrate processing method according to any one of (12) to (15) above, including a step of cleaning the mold by a cleaning unit in the processing region.

(17) The substrate processing apparatus includes a plurality of transfer units,
The substrate processing method according to (16) above, wherein while the transfer is being performed by one of the transfer units, the other transfer unit is cleaned.

(18) The substrate processing method according to any one of (12) to (17), further comprising the step of performing a visual inspection of the mold in the processing area.

30 transfer device 30a loading/unloading area 30b processing area 110 substrate supporting unit 111 moving mechanism 140 transferring unit 141 template 152 moving mechanism W wafer

Claims (20)

A substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate,
The substrate processing apparatus includes
a loading/unloading area for loading/unloading the substrate;
a processing region for performing processing on the substrate;
The processing area is
a region for transferring the shape to the substrate by pressing a mold of a desired shape against the substrate;
and a region for washing the mold,
The substrate processing apparatus is
a substrate support that supports the substrate on the upper surface;
a support portion moving mechanism for moving the substrate support portion between the loading/unloading area and the processing area;
a transfer unit provided in the processing area and having the mold of the desired shape on its lower surface;
a transfer unit moving mechanism that moves the transfer unit in the processing area between the transfer area and the cleaning area in a direction perpendicular to the movement direction of the substrate supporting unit. Device. The areas of the mold to be washed are:
a washing unit for washing the mold;
an inspection unit that performs an appearance inspection of the transfer unit ;
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cleaning section and said inspection section are arranged in a line in a direction perpendicular to the movement direction of said substrate support section. The areas of the mold to be washed are:
further comprising a release material supply unit that applies a release material toward the mold;
3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said mold release material supply section is arranged in line with said cleaning section and said inspection section in a direction orthogonal to the movement direction of said substrate support section. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said cleaning unit, said release material supply unit and said inspection unit are arranged in this order from the transfer area side in said mold cleaning area. a coating unit provided in the processing region for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate;
The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a coating section moving mechanism that moves the coating section in the processing area in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the substrate supporting section. 6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising a mark detection unit provided in said loading/unloading area and detecting coordinate positions of a plurality of marks formed on said substrate. 7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the operation of said coating section is controlled based on said coordinate position detected by said mark detection section. a height detection unit provided in the processing area for detecting a height position of the transfer unit;
The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a transfer section elevating mechanism that vertically moves the transfer section in the processing area based on the measurement result of the height detection section. . 9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said transfer section further comprises a light irradiation section for irradiating light onto said substrate supported by said substrate support section. 10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said light is UV light. 11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein said mold is molded in a shot size that allows said light irradiation unit to irradiate light at once. 12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said loading/ unloading area and said processing area are formed on the same stage. 13. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said transfer units and said transfer unit moving mechanisms are provided in said processing area. A substrate processing method for processing a substrate by a substrate processing apparatus,
The substrate processing apparatus includes
a loading/unloading area for loading/unloading the substrate;
a processing region for performing processing on the substrate;
In the processing area,
a region for transferring the shape to the substrate by pressing a mold of a desired shape against the substrate;
A region for cleaning the mold is formed,
In the transcription region,
a step of pressing a transfer portion having a mold of the desired shape on its lower surface against the treatment liquid applied surface of the substrate;
irradiating the treatment liquid with light while the mold is pressed;
In the area where the mold is washed,
and a step of cleaning the mold by a cleaning unit after the transfer processing is performed . 15. The substrate processing method according to claim 14 , further comprising the step of performing a visual inspection of said mold in a region where said mold is cleaned . 16. The substrate processing method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of applying a release material toward the mold in a region where the mold is to be cleaned. Before the step of pressing the transfer portion against the coating surface,
17. The substrate processing method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of supplying a processing liquid to said substrate in said processing region to form said coating surface. 18. The substrate processing method according to claim 17 , further comprising detecting coordinate positions of a plurality of alignment marks formed on said substrate in said loading/unloading area. 19. The substrate processing method according to claim 18 , wherein the step of forming said coated surface is performed based on said coordinate position. The substrate processing apparatus includes a plurality of transfer units,
20. The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 14 to 19, wherein cleaning of another transfer unit is performed while the transfer is being performed by one of the transfer units .

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