JPH11209882A - Substrate treating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate treating device by which throughput is improved and a defective substrate is not produced. SOLUTION: The substrate treating device 100 for etching the film on a substrate 9 in an etching part 130, a first film thickness measuring part 170a is provided in an inlet part 110 and a second film thickness measuring part 170b in an outlet part 120. The thickness of the film on the substrate 9 before being etched is measured by the first film thickness measuring part 170a and that on the substrate 9 after being etched by the second film thickness measuring part 170b. Consequently, the etching amt. is rapidly obtained for each etching, hence the throughput is increased, and the generation of the defective substrate is minimized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method for changing the thickness of a film formed on the surface of a semiconductor substrate for manufacturing a semiconductor device or a glass substrate for manufacturing a liquid crystal panel (hereinafter, collectively referred to as a "substrate"). The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus that performs a process for causing a substrate to be processed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various processes are performed on a substrate to form a pattern or the like. Among these processes, there is a process for changing the thickness of a film formed on a substrate, such as an etching process. However, in recent years, the demand for miniaturization of a pattern on a substrate has been increased, and in order to form such a fine pattern, it is indispensable to manage the amount of change in film thickness in a process of changing the film thickness.

Therefore, for example, in the case of performing an etching process, an operator measures the thickness of the substrate film using a film thickness gauge separately installed before putting the substrate into the substrate processing apparatus. The substrate is transported again to the film thickness meter to measure the thickness of the substrate film. Then, the amount of etching on the substrate is determined from the difference in film thickness before and after the processing,
If the etching amount is not an appropriate value, an operation of adjusting the processing conditions is performed.

[0004]

In the above-described management of the etching amount, that is, the film thickness change amount, it is necessary for an operator to transport a substrate to be processed to a separately provided film thickness meter, and it is necessary to carry out the measurement. The operation of the substrate processing apparatus needs to be stopped because it is necessary to insert or remove a new substrate or dummy substrate.

In order to prevent a decrease in throughput due to the stoppage of the operation, the inspection of the amount of change in film thickness is performed only several times a day. Therefore, if an abnormality is found in the inspection of the film thickness change amount, it is necessary to spend time to determine which one of the many substrates from the previous inspection to the current inspection has become a defective substrate. Need to confirm.

Further, in order to properly maintain the thickness change amount, it is necessary to change the condition setting of the substrate processing apparatus depending on the film thickness and film quality of the film formed on the substrate. Since the change amount cannot be inspected frequently, there is a limitation that the thickness of the substrate to be processed between one inspection and the next inspection must be constant. As a result, if a substrate having a different film thickness is erroneously processed, all the substrates of that type (in the case of batch processing in which a plurality of substrates are processed at once, all substrates in the lot) are all defective substrates. Had the problem of becoming

Accordingly, the present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus capable of solving the above-described various problems, that is, capable of appropriately managing the change in the thickness of a film formed on the surface of a substrate. It is intended to provide.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus for performing a predetermined processing on a substrate, wherein a thickness of a film formed on a surface of the substrate is changed by using a processing liquid. Between a plurality of processing units including a film thickness change processing unit to be disposed and arranged in a line in a predetermined direction, and transferring the substrate along a transfer path oriented in the predetermined direction and the plurality of processing units. Substrate transfer means for transferring a substrate at a position corresponding to a stage before and after the film thickness change processing unit in the transfer path, and a film before and after processing by the film thickness change processing unit. A film thickness measuring means for measuring the thickness.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the film thickness change processing unit performs an etching process for changing a thickness of an oxide film formed on a surface of the substrate.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the thickness of the film before and after the processing of the film thickness change processing unit is based on the measurement result from the film thickness measuring means. Means for determining the amount of change in

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate processing apparatus according to the third aspect, wherein the processing conditions of the substrate in the film thickness change processing unit are changed based on the obtained change amount of the film thickness. Means are further provided.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the film thickness measuring means measures the thickness of the film before the processing of the film thickness change processing unit. The apparatus further includes checking means for checking the type of the film based on the result.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the processing conditions of the substrate in the film thickness change processing section are changed based on a result of the confirmation by the confirmation means.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein a position corresponding to a stage before the film thickness change processing unit and a position corresponding to a stage after the film thickness change processing unit. And a first film thickness measuring unit that measures the film thickness of the substrate at a position corresponding to a stage prior to the film thickness change processing unit. ,
A second film thickness measuring unit for measuring the film thickness of the substrate at a position corresponding to a stage subsequent to the film thickness change processing unit;

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the seventh aspect, the plurality of processing units further include a drying processing unit for performing a drying process on the substrate after the processing by the film thickness change processing unit. The first film thickness measurement unit is disposed at a position corresponding to a stage immediately before the film thickness change processing unit,
The film thickness measuring section is disposed at a position corresponding to a stage immediately after the drying processing section.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate processing apparatus according to the seventh aspect, wherein a carry-in portion serving as a starting point of the transport path;
An unloading unit that is an end point of the transport path, wherein the first film thickness measuring unit is disposed at a position corresponding to a stage immediately after the loading unit, and the second film thickness measuring unit is configured to include the unloading unit. Is located at a position corresponding to the stage immediately before.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the transport path passes before and after the processing of the film thickness change processing unit. A transit position is set, and the film thickness measuring means is configured as a single film thickness measuring unit that measures the film thickness both before and after the processing of the film thickness change processing unit at the common transit position. I have.

The invention according to claim 11 is the invention according to claims 1 to 10
5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the film thickness measurement unit measures a thickness of a film on the substrate, and position information on which the measurement end should be positioned with respect to the substrate during measurement. And a moving means for moving the measuring end based on the position information.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the method of claim
In the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the above, the film thickness measuring means, an area sensor for acquiring an image of a predetermined range of the substrate, and an area determining means for determining an area to be measured on the substrate from the image And a film thickness calculating means for calculating a film thickness in the region to be measured.

[0020]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS <1. First Embodiment> FIG.
Is a substrate processing apparatus 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the first embodiment. This substrate processing apparatus 100
In the semiconductor substrate 9, a film such as an oxide film formed in advance on the surface of the substrate 9 is subjected to an etching process by a batch method. Thereby, the film thickness is reduced to an appropriate value. In the following description, description will be made using the X, Y, and Z directions shown in each drawing as necessary.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the substrate processing apparatus 100, a substrate 9 is loaded from the outside of the apparatus while being accommodated in a carrier 91, and a plurality of substrates 9 are collectively removed from the carrier 91. Section 110, three etching processing sections 1 for performing etching processing on substrate 9
30, a cleaning processing unit 140 for cleaning the substrate 9 after the etching process, and a drying processing unit 15 for drying the cleaned substrate 9
0 and a mechanism for accommodating the processed substrate 9 in the carrier 91, and the unloading sections 120 for unloading the carrier 91 out of the apparatus are arranged in a row in the X direction. Also,
Transfer robot 160 that transfers the substrate 9 between the processing units
Are arranged so as to be movable along the rows of these processing units. Further, a first film thickness measuring unit 170a and a second film thickness measuring unit 170b for measuring the thickness of the film of the substrate 9 are attached to the carry-in unit 110 and the carry-out unit 120, respectively.

FIG. 2 shows the substrate 9 in the substrate processing apparatus 100.
It is a schematic diagram which shows 100C of conveyance paths. As shown in FIG. 2, in the substrate processing apparatus 100, the transfer robot 160 transfers the substrate 9 in the X direction starting from the transfer unit 110, and transfers the substrate 9 to the discharge unit 120, which is the end point of the transfer path 100C. That is, the substrate 9 taken out of the carrier 91 by the loading unit 110 is transferred by the transfer robot 160.
Is transferred to the etching processing unit 1 while the transfer robot 160 transfers the substrate 9 in the X direction.
The substrate 9 is subjected to an etching process, a cleaning process, and a drying process by transferring the substrate 9 to the cleaning process unit 140, the drying process unit 150, and the drying process unit 150. Then, the substrate 9 after the series of processing is completed is transferred from the transfer robot 160 to the unloading section 12
0 and is stored in the carrier 91.

Next, the substrate 9 is moved to the transfer path 100C shown in FIG.
The operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 when the substrate is transported along is described in more detail with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view when the substrate processing apparatus 100 is viewed from the direction of the arrow 100A shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, an unprocessed substrate 9, for which the film thickness has not been measured, is placed in the carrier 91 in a state of being accommodated in the carrier 91. The plurality of substrates 9 placed on the loading section 110 are taken out of the carrier 91 so as to be pushed up by the protruding portions 111 of the loading section 110. Note that a groove for holding the substrate 9 in the upright posture is formed in the protruding portion 111.

The substrates 9 taken out of the carrier 91 are arranged in the Y direction as shown in FIG. 3, and the substrates 9 are sandwiched between two hands 162 of the transfer robot 160 and transferred to the transfer robot 160. . Then, as the head unit 161 of the transfer robot 160 moves in the X direction, the substrates 9 are transferred in the X direction while being aligned in the Y direction. Note that the hand 162 has a groove for fitting the outer edge of the substrate 9 so that the substrate 9 can be held in the upright posture.

When the substrate 9 is transferred to the transfer robot 160, the substrate 9 is transferred to a position above any one of the three etching units 130 shown in FIG. Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the protruding portion 132 inside the processing tank 131 rises and pushes up the substrate 9 held by the hand 162 to receive the substrate 9, and the interval between the two hands 162 increases, and When the upper part 132 is lowered, the substrate 9 is guided into the processing tank 131. Then, the substrate 9 is immersed in a chemical solution (hydrofluoric acid, buffered hydrofluoric acid, or the like) in the processing bath 131 to perform an etching process.

When the etching process is completed, the substrate 9 is transferred from the etching unit 130 to the transfer robot 160 by the reverse operation of the transfer of the substrate 9 from the transfer robot 160 to the etching unit 130. Thereafter, the substrate 9 is transported to the cleaning processing unit 140 and the drying processing unit 150. The transfer of the substrate 9 between the cleaning processing unit 140, the drying processing unit 150, and the transfer robot 160 is performed in the same manner as the etching processing unit 130.

The unloading section 120 has the same configuration as the loading section 110.
10 is transferred from the transfer robot 160 to the protruding portion 111 of the unloading section 120 by an operation reverse to the operation in FIG.
Accommodates the substrate 9 in the carrier 91.

As described above, the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention
Has been described in terms of processing operations.
Next, the configuration and operation for measuring a film (eg, an oxide film) formed on the surface of the substrate 9 in the substrate processing apparatus 100 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 10
In the case of 0, the first film thickness measuring section 170a and the second film thickness measuring section 170b are provided in the carry-in section 110 and the carry-out section 120, respectively. FIG. 3 also shows the positional relationship between the first film thickness measuring unit 170a and the loading unit 110. That is, the first
The film thickness measuring unit 170a is configured such that the measuring end 171 and the film thickness meter 172 are connected by an optical fiber,
The measurement end 171 measures the main surface of one of the substrates 9 pushed up by the loading unit 110. The thickness gauge 172 is arranged at a position away from the measurement end 171. Note that the second film thickness measuring section 170b is also arranged in the unloading section 120 in the same state.

FIG. 4 shows the first film thickness measuring section 170a and the second film thickness measuring section 170a.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration for processing information from a film thickness measurement unit 170b. As shown in FIG.
00 is the first film thickness measuring unit 170a and the second film thickness measuring unit 1
The etching amount calculation unit 181 is connected to the display unit 182 for displaying the etching amount, which is the change amount of the film thickness, and the processing conditions in the etching processing unit 130. An etching condition correction unit 183 for correcting a certain etching condition is connected. Further, the etching condition correction unit 183 is connected to the etching condition storage unit 133a of the control unit 133 that controls the operation of the etching processing unit 130.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first film thickness measuring section 170a
The measurement end 171 has a lens portion 173 serving as a measurement tip, and the lens portion 173 and the film thickness meter 172 are connected by an optical fiber 174. The lens portion 173 faces the main surface 9f of the substrate 9 on which a film is formed at the time of measurement, that is, when the substrate 9 is pushed up by the protruding portion 111, and transmits measurement light from the optical fiber 174. It plays a role of emitting light toward the main surface 9f and returning reflected light from the main surface 9f to the optical fiber 174. Also,
The lens unit 173 is driven by a driving mechanism 175 to form an X-
It can move freely in the Z plane. Thus, irradiation of measurement light and acquisition of reflected light can be performed on an arbitrary portion of the main surface 9f. Further, the drive mechanism 175 is isolated from the inside of the loading section 110 by a bellows 176 made of resin.

The film thickness gauge 17 connected to the optical fiber 174
Reference numeral 2 supplies the measuring light to the optical fiber 174, acquires the reflected light from the main surface 9f from the optical fiber 174, and obtains the thickness of the film on the main surface 9f by analyzing the wavelength of the acquired reflected light. .

The configuration of the first film thickness measuring section 170a is completely the same in the second film thickness measuring section 170b. Therefore, in the first film thickness measuring section 170a, FIG.
The thickness of the film of the substrate 9 located at the stage immediately after being taken out of the carrier 91 is measured at the loading section 110 which is the starting point of the transport path 100C shown in FIG.
b, the substrate 9 located at the stage immediately before being accommodated in the carrier 91 at the unloading section 120 which is the end point of the transport path 100C
Is measured. In the present embodiment, these measurements also correspond to measurements at a position corresponding to a stage immediately before the etching process and measurements at a position corresponding to a stage immediately after the drying process.

Next, the first film thickness measuring section 170a and the second
The measurement operation in the film thickness measuring section 170b (hereinafter, simply referred to as “film thickness measuring section 170” when both are not distinguished) will be described.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration for controlling the operation of the film thickness measuring section 170, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of the operation.

The driving mechanism 175 connects the lens portion 173 to the substrate 9
It is a two-axis drive mechanism that can be moved along the XZ plane which is a plane parallel to the main surface 9f of the. And
The drive mechanism 175 is controlled by the position control section 184.

The position control section 184 has a film thickness management position storage section 184a for storing a film thickness management position which is a position of a specific area on the substrate 9, and the position is controlled at the start of the film thickness measurement operation. The control unit 184 reads out the position information where the lens unit 173 should be located from the film thickness management position storage unit 184a (Step S11).

FIG. 7 is a view showing a pattern formed by a film on the substrate 9. Generally, a TEG (Test Element Group) is provided on the substrate 9 as a specific area for controlling the film thickness.
Are provided, and reference numeral 92 illustrates such a region.

When the position information is read from the film thickness management position storage unit 184a, the position control unit 184 drives the driving mechanism 175 so that the lens unit 173 can measure the film thickness of the region 92 on the substrate 9. (Step S1
2). When the lens unit 173 is arranged at a predetermined position, a signal indicating the completion of the arrangement is transmitted to the film thickness meter 172,
The film thickness measuring unit 170 measures the film thickness of the region 92 (Step S13).

As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus 100, the specified substrate pattern such as the center and the outer periphery of the substrate 9 is specified based on the film thickness management position stored in the film thickness management position storage section 184a in advance. Drive mechanism 175
And the position can be appropriately measured using the position control unit 184. Therefore, by changing the film thickness management position in accordance with the type of the substrate 9 to be processed, a predetermined area can be directly measured for different types of substrates 9, so that efficient and accurate film thickness management can be performed. . The input of the type of the substrate 9 may be input by an operator, or may be input from the film type checking unit 183a shown in FIG. 4 (the operation will be described later).

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the film thickness measuring section 170, and shows only the configuration corresponding to FIG. The same components as those in FIG. 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
The configuration for calculating the etching amount is the same as the configuration shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of the operation of the film thickness measuring section 170 shown in FIG.

The film thickness measuring section 170 shown in FIG. 8 is different from that shown in FIG.
3a.
2 to the area sensor 173a via the cable 174a.
Is sent. Further, the film thickness meter 172 has a measurement region determining unit 172a for analyzing the image signal and a film thickness calculating unit 172b for calculating the film thickness based on the image signal.

Also in the measurement by the film thickness measuring section 170 shown in FIG. 8, first, position information is read from the film thickness management position storage section 184a (step S21), and the position control section 18 performs the measurement.
4 controls the driving mechanism 175 so that the area sensor 173a is located at a position where an image of a predetermined area on the substrate 9 can be captured.
Is moved (step S22). Area sensor 173a
Is disposed at the target position, the position control unit 184 sends a signal indicating the completion of the arrangement to the film thickness meter 172, and the area sensor 173a
Is obtained (step S23).

The area on the substrate 9 captured by the area sensor 173a is not limited to the area 92 dedicated to film thickness measurement shown in FIG. May be a region that has been set. Here, the image captured by the area sensor 173a is sent to the film thickness meter 172, and the measurement area determination unit 172a analyzes the pattern of the image to check whether the area sensor 173a is located at a predetermined position ( Step S24).

When it is determined that the area sensor 173a is not located at the predetermined position, the position control unit 184 reads out the position information of the next candidate from the film thickness management position storage unit 184a and sets the area sensor 173a at the position of the next candidate. (Steps S25 and S26). Thereafter, an image is obtained again (step S23).

When it is confirmed that the area sensor 173a is located at a predetermined position, the measurement area determining unit 1
72a determines a region to be measured by extracting a specific pattern in the image (steps S25 and S27). FIG. 10 shows an example of an image 931 when the area sensor 173a captures the area 93 shown in FIG. Measurement area determination unit 17
2a specifies an area 932 having a certain size such as a land from the circuit pattern in the image 931 and determines it as an area to be measured. Then, the film thickness calculating unit 172b obtains the substrate 9 from information such as the pixel density in the determined area 932.
The thickness of the film formed thereon is calculated (Step S2
8).

As described above, the film thickness measuring section 170 shown in FIG.
In this case, not only a region for managing a specific film thickness such as the center and the outer periphery of the substrate 9 but also a region to be measured is specified and accurately measured even in an actual device structure formed on the substrate 9. can do. Thereby, efficient and accurate film thickness control is realized.

When the area sensor 173a is used, it is not necessary to strictly adjust the relative positional relationship between the substrate 9 and the area sensor 173a.
It is also possible to measure the film thickness of a plurality of types of substrates 9 without providing 5. In this case, since the area sensor 173a does not move, higher-speed measurement is realized.

Also, a method is provided in which a wide area sensor and a local area sensor are provided, a position where the local area sensor is to be located is determined by the wide area sensor, and the film thickness is measured by the local area sensor. Is also possible.

Further, a lens portion is provided at the measuring end 171,
An area sensor may be provided in the film thickness meter 172, and the lens unit and the area sensor may be connected by an optical fiber.

The substrate processing apparatus 100 and the film thickness measuring section 170 have been described above.
In the case of 00, the first film thickness measuring section 170a and the second film thickness measuring section 170b are provided so that the first film thickness measuring section 170a
Can measure the film thickness of the substrate 9 before the etching process, and the second film thickness measuring unit 170b can measure the film thickness of the substrate 9 after the etching process.

Next, the operation after calculating the film thickness in the substrate processing apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

The measurement result, which is the film thickness measured by the first film thickness measuring section 170a and the second film thickness measuring section 170b, is input to the etching amount calculating section 181. The etching amount calculation unit 181 calculates the difference between these film thicknesses, and calculates the etching amount, which is the amount of change in the film thickness before and after the etching process. The obtained etching amount is displayed on the display unit 182 so as to be presented to an operator who operates and manages the substrate processing apparatus 100.

The etching amount calculated by the etching amount calculating unit 181 is also sent to the etching condition correcting unit 183, and it is checked whether the etching amount is an appropriate value. As a result, if the etching amount is proper, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 is continued as it is, but if it is clear that the etching amount is not proper, the etching condition correction unit 183 changes the etching condition. .
Specifically, conditions such as the concentration, components, temperature, and etching time of the chemical solution are changed.

The changed etching conditions are sent to and stored in the etching condition storage means 133a of the etching processing unit 130. Accordingly, the control unit 133 that controls the operation of the etching processing unit 130 performs the etching processing with reference to the changed etching conditions. Specifically, by controlling various chemical liquid supply sources to the processing tank 131, the concentration, component, and temperature of the chemical liquid in the processing tank 131 are corrected, and the chemical liquid is replaced. In some cases, the descent time of the protrusion 132 is changed.

As described above, the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention
Has been described, the substrate processing apparatus 100 can measure the thickness of the film of the substrate 9 at the carry-in section 110 and the carry-out section 120. The film thickness can be measured each time the substrate 9 is taken out and each time the substrate 9 is stored in the carrier 91. As a result, the etching amount can be checked each time the etching process is performed, and even if an inappropriate etching process is detected, only the substrate related to the process becomes defective, and the defective substrate is removed. It does not occur in large numbers. In other words, it is possible to appropriately manage the life of the chemical solution, and to minimize the occurrence of defective substrates even if a substrate having a slightly different film quality is supplied for each lot.

Further, in the substrate processing apparatus 100, the film thickness measurement is automatically performed during the transfer of the substrate 9, so that the substrate processing apparatus is stopped and the operator carries the substrate to the film thickness meter as in the related art. No hassle or waste of time. As a result, the throughput can be improved.

Next, another usage of the substrate processing apparatus 100 will be described.

In the above-described operation for confirming the etching amount, as shown in FIG. 4, the film thickness measurement result from the first film thickness measuring unit 170a is input to the etching amount calculating unit 181. The following operation can be performed by inputting the data to the film type confirmation unit 183a in the etching condition correction unit 183.

First, based on the film thickness of the substrate 9 before processing measured by the first film thickness measuring unit 170a, the film thickness and film quality of the substrate 9 to be processed and the processing state of the etching processing unit 130 match. The film type confirmation unit 183a confirms in advance whether or not it is in the state. As a result, inappropriate etching can be prevented beforehand, and the occurrence of defective substrates can be prevented.

Next, from the result of checking the thickness of the film on the substrate 9 before the processing, it is determined that the film thickness and the film quality do not conform to the processing conditions, and the film type conforming to other predetermined processing conditions is determined. When it is determined that the processing condition is satisfied, the etching condition correction unit 183 changes the processing condition of the etching processing unit 130 to an appropriate one. This makes it possible to automatically perform appropriate processing on a plurality of types of film thickness and film quality.

For example, when the substrate processing apparatus 100 capable of processing two types of substrates 9 is performing continuous processing on one of these substrates 9, No. 9 is incorrectly mixed
It is determined from the film thickness measurement result from the film thickness measurement unit 170a that the film type confirmation unit 183a is not the substrate 9 to be processed under the current processing conditions. Further, when it can be confirmed from the film thickness measurement result that the substrate 9 is another type, the etching condition correction unit 183 changes the contents of the etching condition storage unit 133a, and the processing of the other type 9 substrate 9 is continued. You.

As described above, the substrate processing apparatus 100 can not only confirm the etching amount each time the substrate 9 is processed, but also automatically and appropriately cope with the etching processing for a plurality of types of film-like substrates 9. Can also.

<2. Second Embodiment> FIG. 11 shows a substrate processing apparatus 200 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
It is a top view which shows the structure of. The substrate processing apparatus 200 is an apparatus that performs an etching process on the substrate 9 having a film formed on the surface in advance in a single wafer system.

As shown in FIG. 11, the substrate processing apparatus 20
Numeral 0 denotes a carry-in section 210 in which the substrate 9 before processing is placed in a state accommodated in the carrier 91, an etching section 230 for performing etching processing on a film formed on the substrate 9, and cleaning of the substrate 9 after etching processing. The cleaning processing unit 240, the drying processing unit 250 for drying the substrate 9 after cleaning, and the unloading unit 220 for storing the substrate 9 having undergone a series of processing in the carrier 91 are arranged in a row in the X direction shown in FIG. It has it in a lined state. In addition, a transfer robot 260 for transferring the substrate 9 is disposed between these processing units and the like. Further, the etching unit 230 is provided with the chemical solution source 2
The cleaning unit 240 is connected to a cleaning liquid supply source 241. In addition, the etching processing unit 2
The cleaning processing unit 240, the drying processing unit 240, and the drying processing unit 250 are each a single-wafer processing unit, and apply a chemical solution or a cleaning liquid while rotating the substrate 9 in a plane parallel to the main surface. Processing unit.

Further, in the substrate processing apparatus 200, a first film thickness measuring section for measuring the film thickness of the film formed on the surface of the substrate 9 above the transfer robot 260 between the loading section 210 and the etching section 230. 170a, and a transfer robot 260 between the drying section 250 and the unloading section 220.
Is provided with a second film thickness measuring section 170b above. These film thickness measuring units are the same as in the first embodiment, and are denoted by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 12 shows the substrate processing apparatus 20 shown in FIG.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a transfer path 200C of the substrate 9 at 0. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, in the substrate processing apparatus 200, the transfer path 200C starts from the loading unit 210 and ends at the unloading unit 220 along the X direction, which is the direction in which the processing units are arranged.

The first film thickness measuring section 170a is connected to the loading section 2
It is located at the stage immediately after being taken out from 10,
The second film thickness measuring section 170b is disposed immediately before being accommodated in the carry-out section 220. These correspond to the stage immediately before the etching process and the stage immediately after the drying process, respectively.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state when the substrate processing apparatus 200 is viewed from the direction of the arrow 200A shown in FIG. Transfer robot 260 adjacent to loading unit 210
Takes out the substrates 9 one by one from the carrier 91 in the loading section 210, and takes out the substrates 9 into the first film thickness measuring section 170.
It is conveyed below the measurement end 171 of a. Then, the thickness of the film of the substrate 9 before the processing is measured by the film thickness meter 172 of the first film thickness measuring unit 170a by the same operation as in the first embodiment.

When the film thickness measurement is completed, the transfer robot 260
As a result, the rotating table 23 in the etching section 230 is
2, where a chemical is applied from the nozzle 234 while being rotated about an axis in the Z direction. Thus, the film formed on the surface of the substrate 9 is subjected to the etching process. An excess of the chemical solution applied to the substrate 9 is scattered from the substrate 9 and collected in the cup 233 surrounding the periphery of the turntable 232.

The above is the description of how the first film thickness measuring section 170a measures the film thickness of the substrate 9 before processing.
Second film thickness measuring section 170b above transport robot 260 disposed between drying processing section 250 and unloading section 220
In the same manner, the thickness of the film on the substrate 9 after the processing is measured.

The film thickness of the substrate 9 before and after the processing measured in this way is processed by the same configuration as in the first embodiment shown in FIG. That is, the etching amount is obtained by the etching amount calculation unit 181 from the difference between the film thicknesses before and after the processing, and if the etching amount is inappropriate, the etching condition correction unit 183 corrects the processing condition. Then, the corrected etching condition is stored in the etching condition storage means in the control unit of the etching processing unit 230. As a result, the concentration, components, temperature, amount, and the like of the chemical solution from the chemical solution supply source 231 shown in FIG. 11 are adjusted, and appropriate processing is performed on the substrate 9 to be processed next.

Further, as shown by the broken line arrow in FIG. 4, the film type confirmation unit 183a confirms the processing conditions in advance based on the film thickness measurement result from the first film thickness measurement unit 170a, or the etching condition correction unit. 183 is capable of changing the processing conditions as in the first embodiment.

As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus 200, the first film thickness is measured so that the film thickness of the substrate 9 at the position corresponding to the stage before and after the etching processing unit 230 can be measured. Since the thickness measuring unit 170a and the second film thickness measuring unit 170b are arranged, the etching amount can be checked every time each substrate 9 is processed, and it is assumed that an inappropriate etching process is performed. Can also be found quickly. Then, the etching condition correction unit 183
When an inappropriate etching process is found, the processing conditions are automatically and promptly corrected.

These film thickness measuring units are connected to the transport path 20.
Since it is arranged on 0C, the throughput does not decrease due to the film thickness measurement.

Further, as in the first embodiment, the film type checking section 183a checks the film thickness of the unprocessed substrate from the first film thickness measuring section 170a, so that inappropriate etching processing can be performed. It is possible to prevent it beforehand and to automatically change the processing conditions.

<3. Third Embodiment> FIG. 14 shows a substrate processing apparatus 300 according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
It is a top view which shows the structure of.

The substrate processing apparatus 300 performs an etching process on the substrate 9 in a batch system, and the indexer unit 3 in which the substrate 9 is placed in a state accommodated in the carrier 91.
10, an entry / exit portion 340 where the carrier 91 from the indexer portion 310 is transferred and the substrate 9 is put in and out, three immersion portions 330 for performing etching and cleaning processes on the substrate 9,
It has a drying processing unit 350 for drying the processed substrate 9. The three immersion processing units 330 and the drying processing units 350 are arranged in a line in the X direction shown in FIG.

The entrance / exit portion 340 is provided from the carrier 91 to the substrate 9.
A single film thickness measuring unit 370 is attached so that the film thickness of the substrate 9 can be measured when the film is taken in and out.

FIG. 15 is a view showing a transfer path 300C of the substrate 9 in the substrate processing apparatus 300. The substrate 9 is transferred together with the carrier 91 to the entrance / exit unit 340 by the carrier transfer robot 311, and is transferred to the transfer robot 360 at the entrance / exit unit 340. The transfer robot 360 transfers and transfers the substrate 9 to any of the immersion processing units 330, and the immersion processing unit 330 performs an etching process and a cleaning process on the substrate 9 in a state where the substrate 9 is immersed in the processing liquid.

When the etching process and the cleaning process are completed, the substrate 9 is transferred again to the transfer robot 360, and the transfer robot 360 transfers the substrate 9 to the drying unit 350. In the drying processing unit 350, the substrate 9 is subjected to a drying process. When the drying process is completed, the substrate 9 is transferred to the transfer robot 360 again. Then, the transfer robot 360 is moved to the entrance / exit section 340.
The substrate 9 is transferred to the inlet / outlet 340 and the substrate 9 is transferred to the carrier 9.
Housed in one.

The above is the operation of the etching process in the substrate processing apparatus 300. In this substrate processing apparatus 300, the transport path 300C of the substrate 9 is located at the position of the entrance / exit portion 340 that passes in common before and after the etching processing. A film thickness measuring section 370 is provided. FIG. 16 is a perspective view when the substrate processing apparatus 300 is viewed from the arrow 300A shown in FIG.

The transfer of the substrate 9 between the entrance / exit unit 340 and the transfer robot 360 is performed by the cooperative operation of the protrusion 341 of the entrance / exit unit 340 and the two plate-shaped hands 361 of the transfer robot 360. That is, the protruding portion 341 performs an elevating operation for taking the substrate 9 in and out of the carrier 91, and
Numeral 61 holds the outer edge of the substrate 9 which is pushed up by being rotated about an axis in the Y direction. Note that a groove is formed in the hand 361 so that the substrate 9 can be held in an upright posture. Also, as shown in FIG. 16, a protrusion 332 is provided inside the processing tank 331 of the immersion processing unit 330, and the transfer of the substrate 9 between the immersion processing unit 330 and the transfer robot 360 is performed by the protrusion 332, the hand 361, and the like. Is performed by the same cooperative operation as described above. The same applies to the drying section 350.

The film thickness measuring section 370 includes the first film thickness measuring section 170a and the second film thickness measuring section 170b in the first embodiment.
And has a measuring end 371 and a film thickness gauge 372 connected by an optical fiber or the like.

The measuring end 371 is a projecting part 3 of the entrance / exit 340.
In order to be able to measure the thickness of the film of the substrate 9 pushed up by 41, it is arranged above the entrance / exit 340 so as to face the transfer robot 360. That is, it is arranged so that measurement can be performed on the substrate 9 located at the common route position 300P before and after the etching process on the transport path 300C shown in FIG. Therefore, the film thickness measuring section 370 can measure the thickness of the unprocessed substrate 9 taken out of the carrier 91 and also can measure the thickness of the processed substrate 9 accommodated in the carrier 91.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a configuration for processing the film thickness measurement result measured by the film thickness measuring section 370. Note that the configuration of the film thickness measuring section 370 is the same as that of the first film thickness measuring section 170a in the first embodiment, and therefore, is denoted by the same reference numerals as appropriate.

The film thickness measuring operation and its processing in the substrate processing apparatus 300 are performed by one measurement operation of the first film thickness measuring section 170a and the second film thickness measuring section 170b in the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. The same applies except that the measurement is performed in the film thickness measurement unit 370. That is, both the film thickness of the substrate 9 before the processing and the film thickness of the substrate 9 after the processing by the film thickness measuring unit 370 are input to the etching amount calculating unit 381 to calculate the etching amount, and the result is displayed on the display unit. 382.

Further, the obtained etching amount is confirmed by the etching condition correcting unit 383, and if an appropriate etching process is not performed, the etching condition correcting unit 383 is used.
3 corrects the etching conditions, and the corrected etching conditions are stored in the etching condition storage means 333a in the control unit 333 of the immersion processing unit 330. Thereby, the concentration, component, temperature, switching time from the chemical solution to the cleaning solution, etc. of the chemical solution in the immersion processing unit 330 are adjusted.

Further, as shown by the broken arrow in FIG. 17, the film thickness of the substrate 9 before processing measured by the film thickness measuring unit 370 is confirmed by the film type confirming unit 383a, and the It is confirmed whether or not the film thickness or film quality of the substrate 9 to be processed matches the processing conditions of the immersion processing unit 330, and if necessary, the processing conditions are changed by the etching condition correction unit 383.

As described above, in this substrate processing apparatus 300, the film thickness measuring section 370 is provided above the entrance / exit section 340 which is the common transit position 300P before and after the etching process on the transport path 300C shown in FIG. One film thickness measuring unit 370 can measure the film thickness of the substrate 9 before and after the processing, and can confirm the etching amount for each processing of the substrate 9 and minimize the occurrence of defective substrates. Can be.

Further, since only one film thickness measuring section 370 is provided in substrate processing apparatus 300, the cost of substrate processing apparatus 300 can be reduced as compared with the case where two film thickness measuring sections are provided. .

Further, the film thickness measuring unit 3 is provided on the transport path 300C.
Because of the arrangement, the measurement operation of the film thickness can be performed quickly, and the throughput does not decrease.

Further, even if a substrate 9 on which a different kind of film is formed is loaded into the substrate 9 which is being continuously processed, the occurrence of defective substrates is prevented beforehand and appropriate processing conditions are automatically changed. can do.

<4. Modifications> Although the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

For example, in the above embodiment, a substrate processing apparatus for performing an etching process has been described. However, a process in which a film is formed in advance on the surface of a substrate and the thickness of the film is changed by using a processing liquid or the like. The present invention can be used as long as it is a device that performs

In the first and second embodiments,
Although two independent film thickness measuring units are provided, they need not be completely independent. For example, although two measurement ends 171 are provided, the film thickness gauge 172 may be configured to be commonly used.

Further, if the first film thickness measuring section 170a can measure the film thickness of the unprocessed substrate 9, that is, it corresponds to a stage before the process of changing the film thickness in the transport path. The second film thickness measurement unit 170b can measure the film thickness of the processed substrate 9 if it can measure the thickness of the substrate 9 at the position. May be arranged at any position as long as measurement can be performed on a substrate at a position corresponding to a stage subsequent to the process of changing.

Further, in the third embodiment, the access section 34
0, the film thickness measuring unit 370 is disposed.
It may be located anywhere as long as it is a common transit position before and after the etching process on OC. For example, you may make it arrange | position above the drying process part 350. In addition, the film thickness measuring unit 370
May be provided instead of one, as in the first embodiment.

[0100]

According to the first to twelfth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to measure the thickness of the film formed on the surface of the substrate before and after the processing of the film thickness change processing section during the transportation of the substrate. Thus, the thickness of the film before and after the processing can be measured without lowering the throughput.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the amount of change in the thickness of the film can be obtained every time the processing is performed, so that it is possible to quickly confirm whether the appropriate processing is performed. As a result, inappropriate processing conditions are not left, and the occurrence of defective substrates can be minimized.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the processing conditions of the substrate can be changed based on the amount of change in the thickness of the film, inappropriate processing conditions can be quickly corrected.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the type of film can be confirmed before processing, so that inappropriate processing can be prevented beforehand, and occurrence of defective substrates can be prevented.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the processing conditions of the substrate are changed based on the confirmation result, it is possible to appropriately perform processing on substrates having a plurality of kinds of film thicknesses.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the thickness of the film formed on the surface of the substrate before and after the processing of the film thickness change processing unit can be measured by the single film thickness measuring unit. The cost of the processing device can be reduced.

According to the eleventh aspect, the thickness of the film can be measured at an appropriate position on the substrate based on the position information.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, since the area to be measured on the substrate is determined from the image, accurate film thickness measurement can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a substrate transfer path in the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an installation position of a film thickness measurement unit.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration for processing a film thickness measurement result.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration for controlling the operation of a film thickness measurement unit.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of an operation at the time of film thickness measurement.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a measurement area on a substrate.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing another example of the configuration for controlling the operation of the film thickness measurement unit.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing another example of the operation flow when measuring the film thickness.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a device structure.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a view showing a substrate transfer path in the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an installation position of a film thickness measurement unit.

FIG. 14 is a plan view showing a substrate processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a substrate transfer path in the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing an installation position of a film thickness measurement unit.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a configuration for processing a film thickness measurement result.

[Explanation of symbols]

 9 Substrate 100, 200, 300 Substrate processing apparatus 100C, 200C, 300C Transport path 110, 210 Loading section 120, 220 Loading section 130, 230 Etching section 140, 240 Cleaning section 150, 250, 350 Drying section 160, 260 , 360 Transfer robot 170a First film thickness measuring section 170b Second film thickness measuring section 172a Measurement area determining section 172b Film thickness calculating section 173 Lens section 173a Area sensor 175 Driving mechanism 181 381 Etching amount calculating section 183, 383 Etching condition correction Units 183a, 383a Film type confirmation unit 184 Position control unit 184a Film thickness management position storage unit 300P Common transit position 330 Immersion processing unit 370 Film thickness measurement unit 931 Image

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI H01L 21/68 H01L 21/306 J

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A substrate processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on a substrate, comprising: a film thickness change processing unit that changes a thickness of a film formed on a surface of the substrate using a processing liquid; A plurality of processing units arranged in a row in a direction, and a substrate transfer unit that transfers the substrate along the transfer path facing the predetermined direction and transfers the substrate between the plurality of processing units; At a position corresponding to a stage before and after the film thickness change processing unit in the transport path, a film thickness measurement unit that measures the thickness of the film before and after processing by the film thickness change processing unit, A substrate processing apparatus comprising: 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thickness change processing unit performs an etching process for changing a thickness of an oxide film formed on a surface of the substrate. Processing equipment. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a change amount of the film thickness before and after the processing of the film thickness change processing unit is obtained based on a measurement result from the film thickness measurement unit. Substrate processing apparatus, further comprising: 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a change unit configured to change a processing condition of the substrate in the film thickness change processing unit based on the obtained change amount of the film thickness. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the film thickness is measured based on a measurement result of the film thickness before the film thickness change processing unit performs processing by the film thickness measurement unit. A substrate processing apparatus, further comprising a confirmation unit for confirming a type of the substrate. 6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a processing condition of the substrate in the film thickness change processing unit is changed based on a result of the confirmation by the confirmation unit. 7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: a position corresponding to a stage prior to the film thickness change processing unit;
A position corresponding to a later stage is different from each other, and the film thickness measuring means measures a film thickness of the substrate at a position corresponding to a stage earlier than the film thickness change processing unit. A film thickness measurement unit; and a second film thickness measurement unit that measures the thickness of the film of the substrate at a position corresponding to a stage subsequent to the film thickness change processing unit. Substrate processing apparatus. 8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of processing units further include a drying processing unit that performs a drying process on the substrate that has been processed by the film thickness change processing unit, The film thickness measuring unit is disposed at a position corresponding to a stage immediately before the film thickness change processing unit, and the second film thickness measuring unit is disposed at a position corresponding to a stage immediately after the drying processing unit. A substrate processing apparatus. 9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising: a carry-in section serving as a starting point of the transfer path; and a carry-out section serving as an end point of the transfer path, wherein the first film thickness measuring section is provided. Is disposed at a position corresponding to a stage immediately after the carry-in unit, and the second film thickness measuring unit is disposed at a position corresponding to a stage immediately before the carry-out unit. . 10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a common route position is set in the transport path before and after the processing of the film thickness change processing unit. Wherein the film thickness measuring means is configured as a single film thickness measuring unit that measures the film thickness both before and after the processing of the film thickness change processing unit at the common transit position. Substrate processing equipment. 11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said film thickness measuring means comprises: a measuring end for measuring a thickness of a film of the substrate; A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: position information storage means for storing position information where the measurement end should be located; and movement means for moving the measurement end based on the position information. 12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said film thickness measuring means includes: an area sensor for acquiring an image of a predetermined range of the substrate; and measurement on the substrate from the image. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a region determining unit that determines a region to be measured; and a film thickness calculating unit that calculates a film thickness in the region to be measured.