JPH11251288A - Apparatus for treating substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for treating a substrate, whereby a good treatment result is obtained for desired target values in a substrate treatment accompanied by thickness change such as etching treatment. SOLUTION: A substrate W to be etched is dipped in an etching liquid stored in a multi-functional treating tank 562. Measuring ends ME of a film thickness measuring unit TM are disposed on the sidewalls of the multi-function treating tank 562. The film thickness at a specified position of the substrate being etched is measured in real time by these measuring ends ME. Based on these measured results, the end time of the etching treatment is determined to directly control the etching quantity. Through such a constitution the thickness of the substrate being etched can be controlled accurately.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate (hereinafter referred to as a "substrate") such as a semiconductor wafer having a film formed on a surface thereof, a glass substrate for a photomask, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display, and a substrate for an optical disk. The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for performing the above processing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Some substrate cleaning apparatuses, which are examples of a substrate processing apparatus, perform chemical processing using various chemicals in addition to cleaning processing using pure water. An etching process using an etching solution as a processing solution is one of the chemical solution processes.

In this etching process, it is necessary to control the thickness of the substrate. Conventionally, the film thickness is controlled by controlling the etching time by utilizing the fact that the etching amount per unit time, that is, the etching rate is kept substantially constant under a constant condition. After the substrate is taken out from the etching processing apparatus, the substrate is carried into a separately provided measuring apparatus, and the film thickness after the etching processing is measured. Based on the measurement result, the etching amount and the etching uniformity are desired. I was checking if it was the result. In addition, this film thickness measurement,
The etching process is performed about once every several to several hundred times, and is not performed for all the etching processes.

If the desired result is not obtained, processing conditions such as a chemical solution concentration, a temperature, and an etching time are adjusted in accordance with the result, and the result is reflected in the next and subsequent etching processes. Was.

[0005]

However, in the conventional film thickness control, since the film thickness is measured after the end of the etching process, more appropriate processing conditions are only reflected in the next and subsequent etching processes. Was. Therefore, if the etching process is inappropriate, the substrate itself that has been subjected to the previous etching process may become a defective product. In some cases, additional processing is required even when a defective product is not obtained. Therefore, in these cases, there is a problem that a large amount of defective cost, time loss due to additional processing, additional manufacturing cost, and the like occur.

Further, with the recent miniaturization of devices, the requirements for the film thickness have become more stringent, and a more precise film thickness control has been required.

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus capable of obtaining a good processing result with respect to a desired target value in a substrate processing involving a change in film thickness such as an etching process. With the goal.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on a substrate having a film formed on a surface thereof.
A processing tank having a light-transmitting side wall portion formed of a light-transmitting member, in which a processing liquid for storing a processing solution for performing a process involving a change in film thickness by immersing the substrate is stored; A plurality of measurement ends provided on the outside, a film thickness measurement unit for measuring the thickness of a film formed on the surface of the substrate immersed in the processing solution in the processing bath, and the film thickness measurement unit Control means for controlling the progress of the process involving the change in the film thickness based on the measurement result of the measured film thickness.

Further, the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 is
A substrate processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on a substrate having a film formed on a surface, the substrate processing device having a light-transmitting side wall portion formed of a light-transmitting member, and performing a process involving immersing the substrate to change the film thickness. A processing tank in which a processing liquid for performing the processing is stored, and a measuring end disposed outside the light-transmitting side wall portion, and a surface of the substrate immersed in the processing liquid in the processing tank is formed. Film thickness measuring means for measuring the thickness of the film, driving means for moving the measuring end along the outer surface of the translucent side wall portion, and a measurement result of the film thickness measured by the film thickness measuring means. And control means for controlling the progress of the process involving the change in film thickness.

Further, the substrate processing apparatus according to a third aspect is the substrate processing apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the driving unit moves the measurement end along an outer surface of the light-transmitting side wall portion. A first driving unit for moving the measuring end in the vertical direction and a second driving unit for moving the measuring end in the horizontal direction along the outer side surface of the light-transmitting side wall portion are provided.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<A. First Embodiment><Overview of Substrate Processing Apparatus> FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment. As shown in the drawing, this apparatus includes a cassette loading section 2 into which a cassette C containing unprocessed substrates is loaded, and a cassette C from the cassette loading section 2 on which a plurality of substrates are simultaneously taken out. A substrate processing unit 5 in which unprocessed substrates taken out of the cassette C are sequentially cleaned, and a substrate storage unit 7 in which a plurality of processed substrates after the cleaning process are simultaneously stored in the cassette. And a cassette unloading section 8 from which the cassette C storing the processed substrates is discharged. Further, on the front side of the apparatus, a substrate transport mechanism 9 is arranged from the substrate unloading section 3 to the substrate storage section 7, and the substrate transport mechanism 9 is provided before, during and after the cleaning process. The substrate is transported from one location to another.

The cassette loading section 2 includes a cassette transfer robot C capable of horizontal movement, vertical movement, and rotation about a vertical axis.
A pair of cassettes C provided at a predetermined position on the cassette stage 2a provided with R1 are transferred to the substrate extracting section 3.

The substrate unloading section 3 includes a pair of holders 3a and 3b which move up and down. A guide groove is formed on the upper surface of each of the holders 3a and 3b, and supports the unprocessed substrates in the cassette C vertically and parallel to each other. Therefore, when the holders 3a and 3b are raised, the substrates are taken out of the cassette C. The substrate taken out of the cassette C is transferred to the transfer robot TR provided in the substrate transfer mechanism 9, and is loaded into the substrate processing unit 5 after being moved horizontally.

The substrate processing section 5 has a chemical solution tank C for storing a chemical solution.
B, and a washing tank W containing pure water
B, and a multi-function processing unit 56 including a multi-function processing tank 562 for performing various types of chemical solution processing and water-washing processing in a single tank.

In the substrate processing section 5, a first substrate immersion mechanism 55 is provided behind the chemical processing section 52 and the washing processing section 54.
The substrate received from the transport robot TR is immersed in the chemical tank CB of the chemical processing section 52 or is placed in the washing tank WB of the washing processing section 54 by the lifter head LH1 that can be moved up and down and traversed. Or soak. Further, a second substrate immersion mechanism 57 is disposed behind the multi-function processing unit 56. The substrate received from the transport robot TR is moved by a vertically movable lifter head 563a provided in the second substrate immersion mechanism 57. It is supported in the multi-function processing tank 562 of the multi-function processing unit 56.

The substrate storage unit 7 has a structure similar to that of the substrate unloading unit 3, and receives a processed substrate held by the transfer robot TR by a pair of vertically movable holders 7a and 7b and stores it in the cassette C. I do.

The cassette unloading section 8 has the same structure as that of the cassette loading section 2 and includes a movable cassette transfer robot CR2, and a pair of cassettes mounted on the substrate storage section 7 are mounted on a cassette stage. 8a is transferred to a predetermined position.

The substrate transfer mechanism 9 includes a transfer robot TR that can move horizontally and vertically. Then, a pair of rotatable hands 91 and 9 provided on the transfer robot TR are provided.
While holding the substrate, the holders 3a and 3
b is transferred to the lifter head LH1 side provided in the first substrate immersion mechanism 55 of the substrate processing section 5, or the adjacent second substrate immersion mechanism 57 from the lifter head LH1 side.
To the lifter head 563a provided in the substrate holder 563a.
7b.

Various processes can be performed in the substrate processing apparatus having the above-described schematic configuration. In the following, a case will be described in which the etching process is performed in the multifunctional processing unit 56. Note that the etching process is exemplarily shown as one of processes involving a change in the thickness of a film formed on the surface of the substrate, and other processes may be performed as long as the process involves a change in the film thickness. The present invention can be applied.

<Configuration of Multi-Function Processing Unit> FIGS. 2 and 3
4A is a cross-sectional view and a vertical cross-sectional view of the multi-function processing unit 56. First, the mechanical configuration will be described with reference to these drawings.

The multi-function processing section 56 mainly includes a casing 56
0, shutter 561, multi-function processing tank 562, lifter 56
3. A lifter drive unit 564 is provided.

The casing 560 has a substrate loading / unloading port T
O, around which a seal member 560a is fixed. An exhaust pipe 560b is provided on the bottom surface.

The shutter 561 includes a shielding plate 561a and a guide 561b provided at the upper end of the side surface of the casing 560 so as to sandwich the shielding plate 561a. Open and close by sliding to
The sealing member 5 provided on the upper surface of the casing 560
Due to 60a, the airtightness inside the casing 560 is maintained in the closed state.

The multi-function processing tank 562 contains hydrofluoric acid (HF) and pure water (DIW) (hereinafter collectively referred to as “processing liquid”).
Are sequentially satisfied, and the substrate W is immersed in them, and an etching process and a cleaning process are performed respectively.

A pipe 562c for returning the processing liquid, a pipe 562d for the waste liquid, and a pipe 562e for supplying the processing liquid are connected to the bottom of the multifunctional processing tank 562. further,
A processing liquid recovery groove 562a is provided at the upper end of the four outer surfaces of the multifunctional processing tank 562.
A pipe 562b for collecting a processing liquid is connected to 2a.

The lifter 563 has three substrate guides 563c between the lifter head 563a and the holding plate 563b. Each substrate guide 563c has a large number of holding grooves for holding the substrate W, and holds a plurality of substrates in the holding grooves. As described later, such a substrate guide 5
A plurality of substrates arranged and held by 63c are simultaneously subjected to processing such as etching.

The lifter driving section 564 includes a servo motor 56
4a and a timing belt (not shown), and a shaft 5 connected to the timing belt.
64b is driven in the vertical direction, which is its longitudinal direction. Further, since the upper end of the shaft 564b is connected to the lifter 563, the lifter 563 can be moved up and down in the vertical direction by driving the servo motor 564a. Therefore, by holding the substrate W on the lifter 563 and raising and lowering the lifter 563 by driving the lifter driving unit 564, the substrate W is raised and lowered, and as shown in FIG. The substrate W is moved to the immersion position DP in the processing liquid L.

Further, on the side wall surface of the multi-function processing tank 562,
A plurality of measuring ends ME are arranged. As shown in FIG. 3, these measurement ends ME are provided on the side wall surface of the multifunctional processing tank 562 so as to face different positions of the substrate W. As a member of the side wall of the multi-function processing tank 562,
It is made of a transparent material such as quartz so as not to affect the measurement of the film thickness. Further, each measuring end ME is provided with an optical fiber OPL and a through joint TC.
Are connected to the corresponding film thickness measuring instruments TM. Each film thickness measuring device TM measures the film thickness at each measurement point by utilizing the interference of light emitted and received via each measurement end ME. With such a measurement system, it is possible to measure the film thickness at each measurement point on the substrate corresponding to each measurement end ME. In addition, the through joint TC plays a role of sealing the chemical solution atmosphere in the casing 560.

By providing the measuring end ME of the film thickness measuring instrument TM in the multifunctional processing tank 562, the film thickness during the etching process can be changed in-situ (IN-SI
TU) can be measured in real time. This is one of the features of the present invention. With this feature, the film thickness can be controlled with high accuracy to a desired target value without being affected by various fluctuation factors.

<Control of Multifunctional Processing Unit> The etching process in the multifunctional processing unit 56 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system of the multi-function processing unit 56, and FIG.
It is a schematic diagram which shows the peripheral structure of 6.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit CTS of the multi-function processing unit 56 controls the valve system VS, the transport system TS, the measurement system MS, and the like.

The valve system VS includes a three-way valve V1 and valves V2 to V5 as shown in FIG. Control unit CTS
Is electrically connected to each of the valves V1 to V5, switches the flow path of the three-way valve V1, and connects the valves V2 to V5.
Can be opened and closed.

The transport system TS is a system that includes an operation of lifting and lowering the lifter 563 by the lifter driving unit 564 and an operation of transferring the substrate W to and from the transport robot TR. These operations are controlled by the control unit CTS according to the progress of the processing.

The measuring system MS is a film thickness measuring system connected from the measuring end ME to the film thickness measuring instrument TM via the optical fiber OPL. The control unit CTS includes a film thickness measuring device TM
The processing of the valve system VS can be appropriately changed in accordance with the result measured by the method.

<Etching Process> As described above, the multi-function processing unit 56 is controlled by the control unit CTS, and the etching process is performed as follows.

First, the valve V3 is opened, and hydrofluoric acid is supplied from the hydrofluoric acid supply source 565 to the multifunctional processing tank 562.
When the liquid level reaches a predetermined level, the supply of hydrofluoric acid is stopped.

Thereafter, the substrate W held by the lifter 563 and located at the position TP in FIG.
And is immersed in the aqueous solution of hydrofluoric acid in the multifunctional processing tank 562. The hydrofluoric acid functions as an etching solution L, and an etching process is performed on a film to be etched (hereinafter referred to as an “etching layer”) such as SiO 2 on the surface of the substrate W. As the etching process progresses, the thickness of the etching layer decreases.

The purpose of this process is to perform etching so that the thickness of the etching layer matches a predetermined target value. This means that etching is performed so that the difference in film thickness before and after the etching process, that is, the amount of etching matches the target value.

The substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment measures the thickness of the etching layer formed on the surface of the substrate even during the etching process in order to achieve such an object. On the other hand, conventionally, the measurement of the thickness of the etching layer of the substrate has been performed only before and after the etching process, and has not been performed during the etching process. In this regard, the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment is significantly different from the conventional method.

In the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment, a plurality of measuring ends ME provided in the above-described multi-function processing tank 562 are provided.
Is used to measure the thickness of the substrate during the etching process at a predetermined measurement point. The substrate to be measured is the substrate closest to the measurement end ME among the plurality of substrates held by the lifter 563. These measurements are performed in real time during the etching process, and the measurement results are used as follows.

The control unit CTS determines whether to continue or end the etching process based on the measurement result at each measurement point in order to control the amount of etching of the substrate. If it is determined that the etching process should be continued, the process is continued.If it is determined that the etching process should be terminated, the process shifts from the etching process to the next cleaning process using pure water. Start. In the cleaning treatment with pure water, the progress of the etching treatment is stopped when the etching treatment liquid attached to the substrate W is removed.

In determining whether or not to start the above-described process, it is possible to determine whether or not the etching amount has reached a predetermined target value. In order to more accurately control the film thickness, it is preferable to consider the amount of etching that progresses until the etching treatment liquid is removed. This is because the etching process may proceed until the etching solution is completely removed in the next cleaning process. To cope with this, it is possible to determine that the transition from the etching process to the cleaning process should be started when the etching amount reaches a reference value of an amount obtained by subtracting a predetermined amount from the target value. is there. Alternatively, it is also possible to predict and judge the point in time at which the transfer of the processing should be started, based on the time required until the removal of the etching treatment liquid after the start of the processing transfer and the actual etching rate calculated from the measurement result. .

As described above, the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment
The film thickness is measured in real time and on the spot (IN-SITU). Further, the amount of etching of the substrate itself during processing is directly controlled based on the measurement result. Therefore, it becomes possible to control the amount of etching very accurately.

In the conventional apparatus, after the substrate is taken out of the substrate processing apparatus after the end of the etching process, the thickness of the etching layer is measured, and it is checked whether the etching amount matches a predetermined target value. Was. However, this is utilized in the next and subsequent etching processes, and no measurement was utilized in the etching process. Further, the above measurement was performed at intervals of about once every several to several hundred times in the entire etching process. Therefore, in order to specify at which point after the last measurement up to the measurement of this time a processing failure has occurred, it is necessary to perform measurement again on those processed substrates. Based on the result obtained by the measurement including the re-measurement, a judgment on the etching failure can be obtained. If it is determined from the final measurement result that the etching amount is excessive, the substrate to be processed in the processing after the occurrence of the defect may be defective. In addition, when the etching amount is insufficient, an additional etching process is required, which may result in a time loss for resetting the etching process conditions and the like.

On the other hand, the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment can accurately control the thickness of the substrate itself during the etching process as described above. Therefore, the possibility of occurrence of defective products is reduced, and negative factors such as cost increase and time loss due to defective products are eliminated. Therefore, the yield is improved, and highly efficient production can be performed.

In the conventional apparatus, the amount of etching is indirectly controlled by controlling the etching time and the like. This utilizes the fact that the etching rate becomes constant by controlling the concentration of the chemical solution, the temperature, and the like to be a predetermined constant value.

Therefore, in order to control the film thickness with high precision, it is necessary to control indirectly controlled quantities such as the concentration and temperature of the etching solution with high precision. If these indirect control amounts deviate from the target value, the magnitude of the etching rate will deviate from the target value. Even if this difference in etching rate is slight, it will appear as a large difference in etching amount with the passage of time. Therefore, it is necessary to make the etching rate accurately follow the target value by accurately controlling the indirect control amount. However, accurately controlling the indirect control amount is a very difficult problem. For example, when it is necessary to control the flow rate for concentration adjustment, etc., for the flow rate control, not only the opening and closing of the valve, but also other fluctuation factors, for example, the time-dependent conductance of the apparatus and the piping system. Fluctuations also need to be considered.

Further, even if these indirect control amounts can be accurately controlled, there is a case where the etching rate deviates from the target value. This is because the etching rate varies depending on the slight difference in the film quality of the etching layer even when the indirect control amount is the same. For example, in the case of an oxide film such as SiO2, the quality of the film depends on the method of manufacturing the oxide film. That is, it depends on which manufacturing method is used, such as thermal CVD, plasma CVD, steam oxidation, or dry oxidation. The etching rate also differs depending on such a difference in film quality. Furthermore, even with the same manufacturing method, the etching rate at the time of etching may differ depending on the conditions at the time of film formation.

Therefore, for the various factors described above,
It is very difficult to properly control the etching rate by taking appropriate measures.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, the film thickness which is the object to be most controlled is directly controlled. Therefore, the management of the etching rate, which has been very important for controlling the indirect control amount, becomes less important. Because, as described above, in the substrate under processing, the amount of etching of the etching layer of the substrate can be directly measured in real time, and the time when the etching process should be terminated can be determined based on the measurement result. It is. For this reason, the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment can control the etching amount with high accuracy even though it is not necessary to control the concentration and temperature of the etching processing solution so strictly. .

As described above, in the apparatus of this embodiment, the etching amount can be accurately controlled based on the measurement of the film thickness. Hereinafter, the processing after the film thickness reaches a predetermined value and the transition from the etching processing to the cleaning processing is started will be further described. The next cleaning processing can be performed in the same processing tank as the processing tank used for the etching processing. In the following description, a case where a cleaning process is also performed in such a multifunctional processing tank 562 will be described.

In order to perform a cleaning process with pure water, the valve V
4 is opened to supply pure water from the pure water supply source 566 to the multi-function processing tank 562. At this time, instead of discharging only the etching treatment liquid (hydrofluoric acid) stored in the multifunctional treatment tank 562, pure water is additionally supplied to gradually replace the etching treatment liquid with pure water. Go. This is to prevent the substrate W from being exposed to the atmosphere when switching from the etching process to the cleaning process. With this additional supply, the processing liquid recovery groove 56
The mixed solution of pure water and hydrofluoric acid overflows into 2a.

The overflowed mixed solution is supplied to the pipe 562b and the three-way valve V
1. Discharged to the waste liquid line via the pipe 562bc and the valve V2. By additionally supplying pure water in the same amount or the same amount or more as the mixed liquid discharged in this way, the hydrofluoric acid in the multifunctional processing tank 562 is gradually replaced with pure water. At the time when the concentration of hydrofluoric acid in the mixed solution has become equal to or less than the predetermined concentration and has a value that does not hinder the cleaning process, by switching the three-way valve V1, the pump P, the filter F, and the pipe 562c are A part of the overflowed processing solution is returned to the multi-function processing tank 562. Thereby, a cleaning process using pure water is further performed. In such a cleaning process, as described above, the progress of etching is completely stopped by completely removing the etching treatment liquid attached to the substrate.

In this embodiment, the film thickness is measured at a plurality of measurement points. Therefore, it is possible to use the average value of the measurement results at a plurality of measurement points for the determination at the time of the process transition. Alternatively, it is also possible to determine that the transfer of the processing should be started when any of the measurement results at the plurality of measurement points reaches the predetermined etching amount.

Further, based on the measured values of a plurality of measuring points,
The etching process can be performed while confirming the uniformity of the etching.

When the uniformity of the etching is insufficient, the etching process can be performed by modifying various conditions relating to the etching process. In addition, even when the processing state is discontinuous and the etching rate changes, the etching amount is directly measured,
The amount of etching can be accurately controlled.

If it is determined that the uniformity of the etching is insufficient and the recovery is impossible, the etching can be immediately terminated. This is because the substrate being processed is determined to be defective at an early stage, and further unnecessary processing is not performed. After that, the evacuation process for the defective substrate is performed, and after various conditions are appropriately reset, the next new etching process can be started.
Therefore, it is not necessary to waste unnecessary chemical solution and time, and it is possible to minimize the production loss.

<B. Second Embodiment> A substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are views showing the multi-function processing section 56 of the substrate processing apparatus of the second embodiment, and correspond to FIGS. 2 and 3 showing the multi-function processing section 56 of the first embodiment. . The multifunction processing unit 56 according to the second embodiment includes a movable unit 567 having a degree of freedom in the XZ plane, and the movable unit 567 has the measurement end ME of the film thickness measuring device TM. This is significantly different from the embodiment. Other configurations are the same as those of the multifunctional unit 56 of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, a configuration different from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

The movable section 567 is provided at the tip of the slide mechanism SD2. The slide mechanism SD2 performs a translational movement in the Z direction as shown in the figure. This translational motion is obtained by converting the rotational motion of the motor M2 via the ball screw SC1 or the like. The slide mechanism SD2 is guided by a linear guide (not shown). Further, the entire driving mechanism in the Z direction is driven in the X direction by the slide mechanism SD1. This movement is achieved by converting the rotational movement of the motor M1 into the X-directional translation movement of the slide mechanism SD1 via the ball screw SC2. The slide mechanism SD1 is guided by a linear guide LG. With such a driving mechanism, the movable portion 567 is driven in the X direction and the Z direction. The movable part 567 operates in the XZ plane in a state of being close to the vicinity of the side wall surface of the multi-function processing tank 562. further,
The entirety of such a drive unit is shielded from the chemical solution atmosphere in the casing 560 by using a bellows 569 made of a chemically stable material such as Teflon.

The movable section 567 has a measuring end ME and a CCD camera 568 at its distal end. CCD
The camera 568 is electrically connected to a position recognition unit PR shown in FIG. 8 via a cable (not shown). The position recognition unit PR can recognize the position of the movable unit 567 by pattern recognition or the like using image information or the like from the CCD camera 568. Further, based on the information, the measurement end driving unit ED (see FIG. 8) can change the position of the movable unit 567. Also, the measuring end ME
Is connected to a film thickness measuring instrument TM via an optical fiber OPL. Therefore, the measuring end ME of the movable portion 567
Can measure the thickness of the etching layer at the corresponding position on the substrate W.

As described above, since the positioning is performed based on the recognition of the position of the object to be measured, it is possible to more accurately specify the object to be measured as compared with the case where the positioning is performed based only on the commanded position information. For example, assuming that a device such as a capacitor is formed on a substrate, the position of a specific oxide film forming a part of the device can be recognized by image recognition. Therefore, the thickness of the oxide film at a specific position can be measured based on this recognition. As described above, since the thickness of the oxide film that actually becomes a part of the device formed on the substrate can be measured, more advanced film thickness management becomes possible.

The measuring end ME is not fixed but movable. Therefore, even when the measurement position needs to be changed due to a change in the substrate or the like, the measurement position can be easily changed.

Alternatively, a plurality of measurement points can be sequentially measured in one etching process. Thus, the etching process can be performed while confirming the uniformity of the etching. The processing after confirming the uniformity of the etching is the same as the processing described in the first embodiment.

[0066]

[Other Modifications] In the above embodiment, the substrate whose film thickness is to be measured is a substrate which is actually a product.
The measurement may be performed using a dummy substrate added to the outermost part of the arrangement of the plurality of substrates. On the board that will be the actual product,
Irregularities often exist on the surface due to other processes performed before the etching process. Therefore, it may be difficult to accurately measure the thickness of the etching layer due to unevenness existing at the measurement position. Or,
In order to avoid the unevenness, high-precision positioning is required. On the other hand, the dummy substrate can have a uniformly formed etching layer over the entire surface thereof. In this case, the etching layer formed on the dummy substrate may be of the same quality as the etching layer of the substrate that will be the actual product. When such a dummy substrate is used, it is not necessary to strictly specify a measurement position on the dummy substrate in order to avoid unevenness on the surface, so that an appropriate etching amount can be measured by roughly determining a measurement position.

Further, on this dummy substrate, an etching layer having a film thickness corresponding to several to several hundred times of normal etching can be formed. According to such a dummy substrate, it is possible to repeatedly measure the amount of etching in a plurality of etching processes using the same dummy substrate. This is because the film thickness in the etching process can be measured by using the film thickness at the end of the previous etching or before the start of the etching process as a reference. Therefore, the number of times of replacement of the dummy substrate can be reduced.

In the above embodiment, the case where the transition from the etching process to the cleaning process is performed by replacing the etching solution with pure water in the same multifunctional processing tank 562 has been described. However, the transition from the etching process to the cleaning process can be realized by other methods. For example, it is also possible to perform the etching process and the cleaning process in separate and different processing tanks called a chemical solution tank CB and a cleaning tank WB, respectively, and to transfer between the processing tanks by a predetermined transfer means. In this case, after the etching process is performed in the chemical tank CB, when the cleaning processing is performed in the cleaning tank WB, the wafer is transported from the chemical tank CB to the cleaning tank WB by the lifter head LH1.

In the above embodiment, the measuring end M
Although E is provided only on one side wall surface of the processing tank, it may be provided on both side wall surfaces. In this case, the films such as the SiO2 layer are arranged on the substrates at both ends so as to face outward. This makes it possible to measure the film thickness of the etching layer during the processing on the two substrates at both ends of the plurality of substrates arranged in the substrate guide 563c of the lifter 563. Therefore, it is possible to measure the uniformity of the etching process depending on the position of the substrate in the processing bath. Therefore, it is possible to perform more advanced film thickness management for the substrate being processed.

In the above embodiment, the holding plate 563b
Cuts off the distance between the measurement end ME and the substrate W in the Y direction, so that a portion where the film thickness cannot be measured exists on the substrate W.
If it is necessary to measure the film thickness even in such a portion, the holding plate 563b may be configured not to block the measurement end ME from the portion of the substrate W. The holding plate 563b shown in FIG. 9 is an example in which the shape of the holding plate 563b is devised for that purpose. The holding plate 563b has a semi-annular shape, and is shaped so as not to block the substrate W as much as possible.

The present invention can be applied not only to the etching process but also to general substrate processing involving a change in film thickness.

[0072]

As described above, according to the substrate processing apparatus of the first aspect, a plurality of measuring ends of the film thickness measuring means are provided outside the translucent side wall of the processing tank, and the measuring end is provided on the surface of the substrate. Since the thickness of the formed film is measured and the progress of the process involving the film thickness change is controlled based on the determination of whether to continue the process involving the film thickness change based on the measurement result, The film thickness to be controlled can be directly controlled at a plurality of measurement points, and the film thickness can be controlled more efficiently than when controlling an indirect control amount such as the concentration or temperature of the processing solution. .

According to the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, the measuring end of the film thickness measuring means is movably disposed along the outside of the translucent side wall of the processing tank, and the measuring end is driven. Measure the thickness of the film formed on the surface of the substrate by moving by means, based on the determination of whether to continue the process with a change in film thickness based on the measurement result, Since the progress is controlled, the film thickness, which is the object to be most controlled, can be directly controlled at a plurality of measurement points. The film thickness can be controlled well.

Further, according to the substrate processing apparatus of the third aspect, the first driving means moves the measuring end in the vertical direction along the outer surface of the light-transmitting side wall, and the second driving means moves the measuring end. Is moved in the horizontal direction along the outer side surface of the translucent side wall portion, so that the measurement end can be easily and accurately moved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the multi-function processing unit 56.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the multi-function processing unit 56.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system of a multi-function processing unit 56.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a peripheral structure of a multi-function processing unit 56;

FIG. 6 shows a multifunctional processing unit 5 of the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment.
6 is a transverse sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view of the multi-function processing unit 56.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system of a multi-function processing unit 56.

FIG. 9 is a view showing a modification of the lifter 563.

[Explanation of symbols]

 W substrate 3 Substrate unloading unit 5 Substrate processing unit 7 Substrate storage unit 8 Cassette unloading unit 9 Substrate transport mechanism 52 Chemical solution processing unit 54 Rinse processing unit 56 Multifunctional processing unit 560 Casing 561 Shutter 562 Multifunctional processing tank 563 Lifter 563a Lifter head 563b Holding Plate 563c Board Guide 564 Lifter Drive TM Film Thickness Meter ME Measuring End TC Through Joint OPL Optical Fiber

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A substrate processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on a substrate having a film formed on a surface thereof, the substrate processing device having a light-transmitting side wall portion made of a light-transmitting member, A processing tank in which a processing liquid for performing a process involving change is stored, and having a plurality of measuring ends provided outside the light-transmitting side wall portion, which is immersed in the processing liquid in the processing tank. A film thickness measuring means for measuring the thickness of the film formed on the surface of the substrate; and a control for controlling the progress of the process involving the film thickness change based on the measurement result of the film thickness measured by the film thickness measuring means. Means for treating a substrate. 2. A substrate processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on a substrate having a film formed on a surface thereof, the substrate processing apparatus having a light-transmitting side wall portion formed of a light-transmitting member, and immersing the substrate to form a film. A processing tank in which a processing liquid for performing a process involving change is stored, and a measuring end disposed outside the light-transmitting side wall portion, and a substrate immersed in the processing liquid in the processing tank. Film thickness measuring means for measuring the thickness of a film having a surface formed thereon; driving means for moving the measuring end along the outer surface of the light-transmitting side wall portion; and a film measured by the film thickness measuring means. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a control unit configured to control a progress of a process involving a change in the film thickness based on a measurement result of the thickness. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the driving unit moves the measuring end in a vertical direction along an outer surface of the light-transmitting side wall unit; A second driving unit for moving the measuring end in a horizontal direction along an outer surface of the translucent side wall portion.