JPH10112436A - Rotational substrate treatment device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve throughput of a rotational substrate treatment device by eliminating the waiting time of substrate treatment. SOLUTION: Pre-dispense starts before a next wafer recipe treatment start time by a time Tp required for pre-dispense, independently of previous wafer recipe treatment or exchange of wafers, and ends in such a manner that the next wafer recipe treatment is executed at the same time as the end. After- dispense starts independently of wafer recipe treatment or exchange of wafers, immediately after completion of shift of a chemical solution supply nozzle from a chemical solution supply position to a standby position, and ends before the start of pre-dispense.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal display substrate, and more particularly to a photosensitive resin such as a photoresist or a color filter material on a substrate surface while rotating the substrate. , Glass solvent,
The present invention relates to a rotary substrate processing apparatus that uniformly applies a chemical such as a liquid chemical.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a rotary substrate processing apparatus, a chemical solution (also referred to as a processing liquid) such as a photoresist liquid is discharged to the center of the upper surface of a rotatably supported substrate, and then the substrate is rotated at a high speed. A chemical solution is uniformly applied to the upper surface of the substrate by using centrifugal force caused by rotation. At this time, the chemical solution supply nozzle that discharges the chemical solution to the substrate discharges the chemical solution at the central portion (supply position) of the upper surface of the substrate, then moves from the supply position to the standby position beside the substrate, and is provided at the standby position. The tip of the nozzle is housed in the pot. The standby pot has a function of preventing a drop of the chemical solution dripping from the tip of the nozzle and preventing the chemical solution from solidifying due to evaporation of the solvent from the tip of the nozzle. Also, the rotating substrate processing apparatus is provided with a scattering prevention cup (spin cup) surrounding the periphery of the substrate for receiving and collecting the chemical solution when the chemical solution is spin-coated on the substrate. Have been.

[0003]

Since the chemical used has volatility, if the tip of the nozzle is placed in the standby pot for a long period of time, a change in characteristics such as the solidification of the chemical stored at the tip of the nozzle occurs. I do. The use of a chemical solution having changed characteristics in this manner is likely to cause various problems in substrate processing, such as variations in the thickness of a film formed on the substrate. Therefore, when the nozzle tip is placed in the standby pot for a certain period of time or more, a process of discharging and discarding a small amount of the chemical solution (the amount of the chemical solution having changed characteristics) in the standby pot before the spin coating process (hereinafter, referred to as pre-dispense). It is carried out. In addition, the chemical liquid attached to the side wall inside the spin cup, the side wall inside the standby pot, and the outside of the tip of the nozzle is solidified, and causes generation of particles. Therefore, after the spin coating process at regular intervals, a process of cleaning them with a chemical solution solvent, that is, a cup rinse (side wall cleaning inside the spin cup), a pot rinse (side wall cleaning inside the standby pot), a nozzle rinse (nozzle tip portion) (Hereinafter referred to as “outside dispense”).

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a procedure of after-dispense and pre-dispense in a conventional rotary substrate processing apparatus. Conventionally, after dispensing of a substrate (application of a treatment liquid according to the recipe), after-dispensing and pre-dispensing are sequentially performed. Then, during the after-dispensing and the pre-dispensing, the operation of exchanging the processed substrate and the unprocessed substrate using the transfer arm is also performed in parallel. As described above, conventionally, after-dispensing (post-cleaning processing) and pre-dispensing (pre-cleaning processing) are sequentially performed after the completion of the recipe processing of the substrate. Waiting time for completion). During processing of many substrates, the dispense completion wait time may occur many times, which limits the improvement of throughput.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, and has as its object to provide a technique for improving the throughput of a rotary substrate processing apparatus.

[0006]

In order to solve at least a part of the above-mentioned problems, a first aspect of the present invention is a rotary substrate processing apparatus for applying a processing liquid onto a rotatably supported substrate. An apparatus, wherein a pre-processing means for performing a pre-processing of a predetermined portion of the rotary substrate processing apparatus before the coating processing of the processing liquid on the substrate, the pre-processing by the scheduled start time of the coating processing And control means for starting the preprocessing so as to end the processing.

In the first aspect of the invention, the pre-processing of the predetermined portion is started independently of the other processing so that the pre-processing of the predetermined part is completed by the scheduled start time of the processing of applying the processing liquid onto the substrate. Therefore, the waiting time of the processing by the pre-processing which has conventionally occurred can be almost ignored, and the throughput of the rotary substrate processing apparatus can be improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rotary substrate processing apparatus for applying a processing liquid onto a rotatably supported substrate. Post-cleaning processing means for performing a partial post-processing, and control means for starting the post-processing within a predetermined time after the end of the discharge of the processing liquid onto the substrate are provided.

In the second aspect of the invention, the post-processing of the predetermined portion is started independently of other processing within a predetermined time after the end of the discharge of the processing liquid onto the substrate. Therefore, the waiting time of the post-processing that has conventionally occurred can be almost ignored, and the throughput of the rotary substrate processing apparatus can be improved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rotary substrate processing apparatus for applying a processing liquid onto a rotatably supported substrate, wherein the rotary substrate processing apparatus is provided before the processing liquid is applied onto the substrate. A pre-processing means for performing a pre-processing of a predetermined first portion, and a post-processing means for performing a post-processing of a predetermined second portion of the rotary substrate processing apparatus after discharging the processing liquid onto the substrate. A control to start the pre-processing so that the pre-processing is completed before the scheduled start time of the coating processing, and to start the post-processing within a certain time after the end of the discharge of the processing liquid onto the substrate. Means.

In the third aspect of the present invention, the pre-processing of the predetermined portion is started independently of the other processing so that the pre-processing of the predetermined portion is completed by the scheduled start time of the processing of applying the processing liquid onto the substrate. The post-processing of the predetermined part is started independently of other processing within a certain time after the end of the discharge of the processing liquid onto the substrate. Therefore, similarly to the first and second inventions, the waiting time of the processing by the pre-processing and the post-processing which has conventionally occurred can be almost ignored, and the throughput of the rotary substrate processing apparatus can be improved. .

[0012] In the first or third aspect of the present invention, the pretreatment is a process of discharging the processing liquid from the nozzle in a state where a nozzle for discharging the processing liquid onto the substrate is at a standby position. It is preferred that

The processing liquid that has accumulated at the tip of the nozzle for a certain period of time undergoes a change in characteristics such as solidification. If the processing liquid having such changed characteristics is used, the film thickness variation of the film formed on the substrate, etc. Various problems in substrate processing tend to occur. However, according to the above method, before discharging the chemical solution onto the substrate, the chemical solution that has accumulated at the tip of the nozzle for a certain period of time can be discarded, so that the substrate can be coated with a new chemical solution. Problems can be avoided.

In the second or third invention, the post-processing is a first processing for cleaning around a nozzle for discharging the processing liquid onto the substrate, and a post-processing is provided around a rotating substrate. A second treatment of washing the spin cup,
Preferably, the method includes at least one of a third process of cleaning a standby pot into which the tip of the nozzle is inserted at a standby position of the nozzle.

The chemical liquid attached to the periphery of the nozzle, the inner wall of the spin cup, or the inner wall of the standby pot solidifies and causes particles. Since a substrate processed in an environment in which such particles are generated has a high possibility of property deterioration, it is preferable to wash the processing liquid that has adhered. According to the above, the chemicals attached to them can be washed, and the generation of particles can be prevented.

In the first or third invention, it is preferable that the control means starts the pretreatment so that the pretreatment ends immediately before the scheduled start time of the coating treatment.

The processing liquid accumulated at the tip of the nozzle for a certain period of time undergoes a change in characteristics such as solidification, and when the processing liquid having such changed characteristics is used, the film thickness variation of the film formed on the substrate, etc. Various problems in substrate processing tend to occur. Therefore, it is preferable to use a processing solution as fresh as possible. According to the above, the processing liquid stored in the nozzle for a long time can be discarded immediately before the start of processing, and a new processing liquid can be used.

In the second and third inventions, the control means may be arranged such that a nozzle for discharging the processing liquid onto the substrate moves to a predetermined standby position after discharging the processing liquid onto the substrate. It is preferable to start the post-treatment immediately after.

The chemical liquid attached to the periphery of the nozzle, the side wall inside the spin cup, and the side wall inside the standby pot solidifies and causes particles. A substrate processed in an environment where such particles are generated has a high possibility of characteristic deterioration. Further, it is easier to wash the processing liquid immediately after the adhesion than to wash the solidified processing liquid. Therefore, it is preferable to wash the attached processing solution as soon as possible. According to the above, it is possible to wash the treatment liquid immediately after the adhesion as soon as possible.

In the first or third aspect of the present invention, the control means may execute the pre-processing once each time the coating of a predetermined number of substrates is completed.

Depending on the characteristics of the processing solution used, the time during which the characteristics change and adversely affect the substrate differs. Therefore, according to the above, the preprocessing can be executed efficiently.

In the second or third aspect of the present invention, the control means may execute the post-processing once each time the coating processing of a predetermined number of substrates is completed.

Depending on the characteristics of the processing solution used, the time during which the characteristics change and adversely affect the substrate differs. Therefore, according to the above, the post-processing can be executed efficiently.

[0024]

Other Embodiments of the Invention The present invention includes the following other embodiments. A first aspect is a control method of a rotary substrate processing apparatus for applying a processing liquid onto a rotatably supported substrate, wherein the rotary substrate processing apparatus is provided with a processing liquid before the processing liquid is applied to the substrate. Starting the pre-processing of the predetermined part so that the pre-processing ends by the scheduled start time of the coating processing.

According to a second aspect, there is provided a method of controlling a rotary substrate processing apparatus for applying a processing liquid onto a rotatably supported substrate, the method comprising the steps of: Starting the predetermined part of the post-processing within a fixed time after the end of the discharge of the processing liquid onto the substrate.

According to a third aspect, there is provided a method of controlling a rotary substrate processing apparatus for coating a processing liquid on a rotatably supported substrate, the method comprising: The pre-processing of the first predetermined portion of the substrate processing apparatus is started so that the pre-processing is completed by the scheduled start time of the coating processing, and the rotary processing is performed after discharging the processing liquid onto the substrate. Starting the post-processing of the predetermined second portion of the substrate processing apparatus within a predetermined time after the end of the discharge of the processing liquid onto the substrate.

According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a portable storage medium which stores a software program which is executed by a microprocessor of a computer system to realize each step or each means of the invention.

[0028]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on examples. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a substrate processing apparatus 1 to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a plurality of processing units for performing a series of processes (a coating process, a developing process, a heating process, and a cooling process in this embodiment) on the semiconductor wafer W. The first processing unit group A arranged on the front surface includes a spin coater SC for performing a coating process and a spin developer SD for performing a developing process.

Further, a second processing unit group B is provided at a position on the rear side opposite to the first processing unit group A. The second processing unit group B includes hot plates HP1 to HP3 and cool plates CP for performing various heat treatments.
1 to CP3.

Further, in this apparatus, a transfer area C extending along the first processing unit group A is provided at a position between the first processing unit group A and the second processing unit group B. I have. In the transfer area C, a transfer robot 10 is movably arranged. The transfer robot 10 includes a moving body 12 having a support member 11 having two arms for supporting the semiconductor wafer W (only one arm is visible in the drawing). The upper and lower two arms forming the support member 11 are driven by an arm drive mechanism (not shown), and exchange the semiconductor wafer in each processing unit. That is, one arm receives the semiconductor wafer after the processing from the processing unit, and the other arm places the semiconductor wafer transported from another processing unit on the processing unit. Although not shown, a three-dimensional drive mechanism is connected to the moving body 12 of the transfer robot 10. This drive mechanism moves the moving body 12 in front of each processing unit, and enables the transfer of the semiconductor wafer W.

At the end of the substrate processing apparatus 1, a cassette 20
There is provided an indexer IND for carrying out the semiconductor wafer W from the semiconductor wafer W and carrying the semiconductor wafer W into the cassette 20. The transfer robot 40 provided in the indexer IND takes out the semiconductor wafer W from the cassette 20,
The semiconductor wafer W that has been sent out to the transfer robot 10 or, on the contrary, has undergone a series of processes is received from the transfer robot 10 and returned to the cassette 20. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the semiconductor wafer W is transferred to and from another processing apparatus (for example, an exposure apparatus such as a stepper) at an end opposite to the indexer IND (right side in the drawing). An interface unit is provided. Semiconductor wafer W between the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the embodiment and another processing apparatus
Is performed by a mobile robot (not shown) provided in the interface unit and the transfer robot 10 cooperating with each other.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the substrate processing apparatus 1 of FIG. In FIG. 2, a controller 50 is an arithmetic processing device including an arithmetic unit (CPU) and a main memory (RAM and ROM), and a display 51 and a keyboard 52 are connected. The controller 50 includes the transfer robot 10 and the transfer robot 40 (robots of the indexer IND), and the processing units SC, SD, HP1 to HP3, and CP according to a preset processing recipe.
1 to control the operation of CP3.

A software program (application program) for realizing various functions by the controller 50 is transferred from a portable storage medium (portable storage medium) such as a floppy disk or a CD-ROM to the controller 5.
0 is transferred to the main memory or the external storage device.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of a substrate processing apparatus to which the present invention is actually applied, for example, a rotary substrate processing apparatus 30 such as a spin coater SC or a spin developer SD in the substrate processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. FIG.

In the rotary type substrate processing apparatus 30, a rotary table 303 for vacuum-holding and holding a wafer W to be processed in a horizontal posture is provided on an upper end of a rotary shaft 302 which rotates around a vertical axis by driving an electric motor 301. Are mounted so as to be able to rotate together.

The periphery of the turntable 303 is covered with a spin cup 304 that can be moved up and down by a lifting drive mechanism (not shown). When loading / unloading the wafer W, the spin cup 3
In a state in which the wafer W is moved downward, an operation of lowering the processed wafer W from the turntable 303 and placing the unprocessed wafer W on the turntable 303 is performed. During the coating process (at the time of rotating the wafer W), the spin cup 3
04 is moved upward to prevent the chemical solution (processing solution) supplied onto the wafer W from scattering. The surplus chemical liquid scattered into the spin cup 304 is discharged through a drain pipe 304a, and the inside of the spin cup is evacuated by an exhaust duct 30.
4b.

Outside the upper side surface of the spin cup 304,
In-cup cleaning liquid supply devices 330a and 330b are provided. Inside the side wall of the spin cup 304, cup cleaning liquid discharge holes 331a, 331b connected to the in-cup cleaning liquid supply devices 330a, 330b are provided. A cleaning liquid is supplied from these cup cleaning liquid discharge holes 331a and 331b to clean the inside of the spin cup 304.

An opening 306 is provided on the side wall of the hood 305 in which the rotary substrate processing apparatus 30 is accommodated. The transfer robot 10 shown in FIG. 1 carries in / out the wafer W through the opening 306. Also, this opening 306
Are opened and closed by a shutter 307.

Above the hood 305, an air supply port 308 is provided. Clean constant-temperature air is constantly flowing from the air supply port 308, and the clean constant-temperature air flows down the hood 305, so that the inside of the hood 305 is always at an appropriate temperature (slightly lower than the management temperature of the chemical liquid for substrate processing). ) And the inside of the hood 305 is always kept in a clean atmosphere.

On the side of the spin cup 304, the turntable 3
A chemical solution supply nozzle 310 for supplying a chemical solution to the upper surface of the wafer W held at 03 is provided. The chemical supply nozzle 310 is cantilevered by a rotatable and vertically movable support member 311 and is configured to be movable between a chemical supply position indicated by a chain line and a standby position indicated by a solid line.

A standby pot 320 is provided at a standby position of the chemical solution supply nozzle 310. Chemical supply nozzle 31 that has moved to the standby position with rotation of support member 311
0 moves slightly downward, and the nozzle tip 313 is inserted through the opening 321 of the standby pot 20, and waits until the next chemical liquid discharge is performed in that state.

Outside the side wall of the standby pot 320, cleaning liquid supply devices 322a and 322b in the standby pot are provided. Inside the side wall of the standby pot 320, standby pot cleaning liquid discharge holes 323a and 323b connected to the cleaning liquid supply devices 322a and 322b in the standby pot are provided.
The cleaning liquid is supplied from these standby pot cleaning liquid discharge holes 323a and 323b to clean the inside of the standby pot 320. Further, a nozzle cleaning liquid supply device 324 is provided above and outside the standby pot 320. Waiting pot 3
A nozzle cleaning liquid discharge hole 325 connected to the nozzle cleaning liquid supply device 324 is provided inside the upper wall 20. The cleaning liquid is supplied from the nozzle cleaning liquid discharge hole 325 to clean the tip of the chemical liquid supply nozzle.

FIG. 4 shows the rotary substrate processing apparatus 3 shown in FIG.
0 is a block diagram of FIG. In FIG. 4, the controller 5
0 comprehensively controls each component of the substrate processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 as described above. Rotary substrate processing apparatus 30
Comprises a processing condition setting means 31, a substrate exchange control means 33, a processing liquid supply control means 35, a pre-processing control means 37, and a post-processing control means 39. When the processing of the rotary substrate processing apparatus 30 is instructed from the controller 50, each control unit controls each processing apparatus shown in FIG. Processing condition setting means 3
1 holds processing conditions (recipe) supplied from the controller 50 and instructs processing timing according to each processing condition. The substrate exchange control means 33 controls the opening and closing of the shutter 307 shown in FIG. 3 in conjunction with the operation of the transfer robot 10 (FIG. 1) in accordance with the timing instructed by the processing condition setting means 31, so that the wafer W is loaded and unloaded. Controls loading and unloading. The processing liquid supply control means 35 controls the elevation of the spin cup 304 and the rotation and elevation of the chemical liquid supply nozzle 310 in accordance with the processing timing instructed from the processing condition setting means 31, and is mounted on the turntable 303. The supply of the chemical solution onto the wafer W is controlled, and the electric motor 30 is controlled.
1 is performed. The pre-processing control unit 37 performs the processing according to the processing timing instructed by the processing condition setting unit 31.
Control pre-dispense. Here, as described above, the pre-dispensing is a process of discharging and discarding a small amount (amount of the chemical solution having changed characteristics) of the chemical solution from the chemical solution supply nozzle 310 in the standby pot 320 before supplying the chemical solution onto the wafer, as described above. is there. The post-processing control unit 39 controls the after-dispensing according to the processing timing instructed by the processing condition setting unit 31. Here, the after-dispensing is, as described above, the rinsing by the in-cup cleaning liquid supply devices 330a and 330b (washing the side wall inside the cup) and the pot rinsing by the in-pot cleaning liquid supply devices 322a and 322b performed after the wafer processing is started. (Washing of the side wall inside the standby pot) and nozzle rinsing (outside of the nozzle tip) by the nozzle cleaning liquid supply device 324.
Also, various preparation operations such as a preparation operation for supplying a chemical solution to a nozzle for supplying a chemical solution can be performed by after-dispense.

Each control means is not limited to being realized only by a hardware circuit, but is constituted by a hardware circuit having a CPU (arithmetic unit) and a memory and a software program (application program) for realizing the function of each means. But it is feasible. Further, a software program for realizing these functions is transferred from a portable storage medium (portable storage medium) such as a floppy disk or a CD-ROM to a memory of the rotary substrate processing apparatus 30 or an external storage device.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a comparison between the conventional processing flow and the processing flow of the embodiment. FIG. 5A shows a conventional processing flow, and FIG. 5B shows a wafer processing flow according to the embodiment. Controller 50
When the processing in the rotary substrate processing apparatus 30 is instructed from FIG. 4, each processing is started according to the processing conditions held in the processing condition setting means 31.

First, the basic processing operation will be described. In the period from time T1 to time T2 in FIG. 5B, the shutter 307 is opened by the substrate exchange control unit 33 and the transfer arm 11 of the transfer robot 10 is placed in the hood 305.
(FIG. 1) enters and places the wafer W on the turntable 303. At this time, if another wafer W that has been processed previously is mounted, the replacement is performed at the same time. After placing the wafer W on the turntable 303, the transfer arm 11 is retracted from the hood 305, and the shutter 307 is closed.

In the period from time T2 to time T5, the processing liquid supply control means 35 performs predetermined processing (wafer recipe processing) in accordance with the wafer processing recipe supplied from the controller 50 and held in the processing condition setting means 31. For example, processing as described below is executed. First, the chemical supply nozzle 310 is rotated from the standby position to the chemical supply position, and a required amount of the chemical is discharged and supplied from the nozzle tip 313 to the upper surface of the wafer W. After the chemical is discharged and supplied, the chemical supply nozzle 310 is moved from the chemical supply position to the standby position, and the nozzle tip 313 is placed in the standby pot 320. Next, the spin cup 304 is raised, and the electric motor 301 rotates the wafer W at a predetermined number of revolutions for a predetermined time to spread the chemical solution, thereby uniformly coating the upper surface of the wafer W with the chemical solution. After the coating is completed, the rotation of the wafer W is stopped, and the spin cup 304 is moved down to finish the processing. In this embodiment, the after-dispensing process and the pre-dispensing process are started in the middle of the recipe process, which will be described later in detail.

After the completion of the recipe processing at time T5, the transfer arm waits until time T6. The transfer arm waiting time is a time during which the transfer robot 10 (FIG. 1) waits to reach the position of the rotary substrate processing apparatus. Depending on the processing recipe, there may be no transfer arm waiting time.

When the next wafer processing is to be performed, the substrate replacement control means 33 again performs the next wafer replacement processing after time T6. That is, the transfer robot 10 replaces the unprocessed wafer and the processed wafer, and unloads the already processed wafer W. A series of processing for the next wafer W is executed by repeatedly performing the same operation as described above. The cycle of the wafer recipe process is called "tact time".

In the processing flow of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5B, the after-dispense is executed independently of the completion of the wafer recipe processing and the timing of the replacement of the wafer. This is carried out after the discharge onto the wafer and the movement to the standby position are completed and before the pre-dispensing is started. The main purpose of the after-dispense is to wash a chemical solution attached to the periphery of a spin cup, a standby pot, or a nozzle in many cases. Therefore, in order to prevent a decrease in the cleaning power due to solidification of the chemical solution, the chemical solution supply nozzle 310 is moved to a standby position. Immediately after moving is completed (for example, within about 10 seconds)
It is preferred that this be done. In addition, after dispense,
Not only one wafer processing unit, but also a plurality of wafer processing units, for example, a plurality of wafers, a lot of wafers (usually 25 wafers), a plurality of lots, a wafer storage cassette exchange, etc. A recipe can be set to be executed.

When processing is instructed from the processing condition setting means 31 to the post-processing control means 39, the after-dispense is executed immediately after the movement of the chemical liquid supply nozzle 310 from the chemical liquid supply position to the standby position is completed. The contents of the after-dispensing include cup rinsing (washing the inside wall of the cup) by the cleaning liquid supply devices 330a and 330b in the cup, pot rinsing (cleaning the inside wall of the standby pot) by the cleaning liquid supply devices 322a and 322b in the standby pot, and nozzle cleaning liquid supply. Nozzle rinsing by the device 324 (outside the tip of the nozzle)
It is also possible to perform various preparatory operations such as preparatory operations for supplying a chemical solution to a nozzle for supplying a chemical solution. However, immediately after the completion of the movement of the chemical supply nozzle 310 to the standby position, the wafer W is being rotated, and performing the rinsing at this time may adversely affect the characteristics of the wafer W. . Therefore, it is preferable to perform the coupling rinsing after the completion of the spin coating of the processing liquid on the wafer.

In this embodiment, the pre-dispensing is executed independently of the completion timing of the wafer recipe processing and the timing of replacing the wafer, and is calculated backward from the scheduled start time of the recipe processing of the next wafer. It is started to be completed by the start of the recipe processing. The pre-dispense is a process of discarding the chemical liquid accumulated at the nozzle tip when the nozzle tip is placed in the standby pot for a long time as described above. Therefore, it is preferable to complete the pre-dispense immediately before the start of the wafer recipe process (for example, within about 10 seconds). In addition, the pre-dispensing is performed not only for one wafer processing unit but also for a plurality of wafer processing units, for example, for each processing of a plurality of wafers, for each processing of one lot of wafers (usually 25 wafers), for each processing of a plurality of lots, and each time a wafer storage cassette is replaced. Can be executed at various processing intervals, and are set in the recipe according to the characteristics of the chemical solution.

The pre-dispense is preferably executed after the end of the after-dispense. However, when the cleaning process of the standby pot 320 and the chemical solution supply nozzle 310 is not performed in the after-dispensing, the after-dispensing and the pre-dispensing can be performed in parallel. It is not necessary to perform both after-dispensing and pre-dispensing during one tact time, and only one of them may be performed, or neither may be performed.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the start time of the pre-dispense. When processing is instructed from the processing condition setting means 31 to the preprocessing control means 37, predispensing is started from time T11, which is the time Tp required for predispensing from the scheduled start time T12 of the next recipe processing, and ends. At the same time, a wafer recipe process is performed. Note that the wafer recipe processing interval (ie, time T
The time between 10 and T12) is preset in the recipe as the tact time interval Tc, and this recipe is transferred from the controller 50 to the processing condition setting means 31.
Accordingly, the start time of the pre-dispense can be set after a lapse of (Tc-Tp) from the start time T10 of the recipe process of the wafer immediately before the wafer process instructed to perform the pre-dispense. The pre-dispensing time Tp may have a margin of about several seconds.

In the conventional processing flow shown in FIG.
In the case of performing after-dispense, the recipe processing for one wafer has been performed after completion. Also, pre-dispensing was performed after after-dispense. Therefore, a dispense completion wait time occurs before the wafer recipe process is actually started after the wafer replacement, and the interval between wafer recipe processes when after-dispense or pre-dispense is executed, that is, the tact time Tc is long. Had become.

On the other hand, in the processing flow according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5B, pre-dispensing and after-dispensing are performed in parallel with wafer replacement and wafer recipe processing. Basically, the processing can be executed without much affecting the tact time, and the throughput can be improved.

When the first processing unit group A of the substrate processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a plurality of rotary substrate processing apparatuses of the same type, for example, two spin coaters S
It may be composed of C1 and SC2. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the tact time of the processing by the two rotary substrate processing apparatuses. In this case, as the substrate processing apparatus 1,
Since the wafers are alternately supplied to the rotary substrate processing apparatuses SC1 and SC2 to perform processing, the tact time Tc is effectively half of the required processing time Tc1 and Tc2 of each of the rotary substrate processing apparatuses SC1 and SC2. Therefore, in each of the rotary substrate processing apparatuses SC1 and SC2, the tact time T of the substrate processing apparatus 1
c, the required processing times Tc1 and Tc2 are obtained, and the predispensing start times (Tc1−Tp) and (Tc2−Tc) are calculated.
p) may be obtained.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described examples and embodiments, but can be implemented in various modes without departing from the scope of the invention.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a substrate processing apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a substrate processing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a rotary substrate processing apparatus to which the present invention is actually applied.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a rotary substrate processing apparatus to which the present invention is actually applied.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a comparison between a conventional processing flow and a processing flow of an embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a start time of pre-dispense.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a tact time of processing by two rotary substrate processing apparatuses.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a procedure of after-dispense and pre-dispense in a conventional rotary substrate processing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Substrate processing apparatus 10 ... Transfer robot 11 ... Support member 11 ... Transfer arm 12 ... Moving body 20 ... Cassette 20 ... Stand-by pot 25 ... Normal 30 ... Rotary substrate processing apparatus 31 ... Processing condition setting means 35 ... Processing liquid supply control Means 37 Pre-processing control means 39 Post-processing control means 40 Transfer robot 50 Controller 51 Display 52 Keyboard 301 Electric motor 302 Rotating shaft 303 Rotating table 304 Spin cup 304a Drain pipe 304b Exhaust duct 305 Hood 306 Opening 307 Shutter 308 Air inlet 310 Chemical supply nozzle 311 Support member 313 Nozzle tip 320 Standby pot 321 Opening 322a, 322b Cleaning liquid supply device in standby pot 323a, 323b: standby pot cleaning liquid discharge port 324: no Slurry cleaning liquid supply device 325 ... Nozzle cleaning liquid discharge hole 330a, 330b ... Cup cleaning liquid supply device 331a, 331b ... Cup cleaning liquid discharge hole CP1-CP3 ... Cool plate HP1-HP3 ... Hot plate IND ... Indexer SC ... Spin coater (rotary chemical liquid coating) Device) SD: Spin developer (Rotary chemical developer)

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A rotary substrate processing apparatus for applying a processing liquid onto a rotatably supported substrate, wherein a predetermined portion of the rotary substrate processing apparatus is coated before the processing liquid is applied to the substrate. A rotary substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a pre-processing unit that performs pre-processing of the above; and a control unit that starts the pre-processing so that the pre-processing ends by the scheduled start time of the coating process. . 2. A rotary substrate processing apparatus for applying a processing liquid onto a rotatably supported substrate, comprising: post-processing a predetermined portion of the rotary substrate processing apparatus after discharging the processing liquid onto the substrate. And a control means for starting the post-processing within a certain time after the end of the discharge of the processing liquid onto the substrate. 3. A rotary substrate processing apparatus for applying a processing liquid onto a rotatably supported substrate, wherein the rotary substrate processing apparatus has a predetermined processing liquid before the processing liquid is applied onto the substrate. Pre-processing means for performing pre-processing of one part; post-processing means for performing post-processing of a predetermined second part of the rotary substrate processing apparatus after discharging the processing liquid onto the substrate; Control means for starting the pre-processing so as to end by the scheduled start time of the coating processing, and for starting the post-processing within a certain time after the end of the discharge of the processing liquid onto the substrate. A rotary substrate processing apparatus, comprising: 4. The rotary substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the pre-processing, the nozzle for discharging the processing liquid onto the substrate is located at a standby position. A rotary substrate processing apparatus, wherein the processing liquid is discharged from the rotary substrate processing apparatus. 5. The rotary substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the post-processing is a first processing for cleaning a periphery of a nozzle for discharging the processing liquid onto the substrate. At least one of a second process of cleaning a spin cup provided around a rotating substrate and a third process of cleaning a standby pot into which the tip of the nozzle is inserted at a standby position of the nozzle. A rotary substrate processing apparatus including: 6. The rotary substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs the pre-processing so that the pre-processing ends immediately before the scheduled start time of the coating processing. Rotary substrate processing equipment to start. 7. The rotary substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control means includes a nozzle for discharging the processing liquid onto the substrate, wherein the nozzle discharges the processing liquid onto the substrate. Immediately after being discharged to the predetermined standby position and discharging, the post-processing is started,
Rotary substrate processing equipment. 8. The rotary substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit executes the pre-processing once each time a predetermined number of substrates are coated. A rotating substrate processing apparatus. 9. The rotary substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit executes the post-processing once each time a predetermined number of substrates are coated. A rotating substrate processing apparatus.