KR100289465B1 - Photoresist dispensor for semiconductor and method for determining change timing of photoresist bottle using it - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, by distributing an optimal amount of photoresist required for formation of a photoresist film applied on a semiconductor wafer by using a stepping motor, photoresist loss during dispensing can be minimized. The present invention relates to a photoresist dispensing device and a method for determining a container replacement time, wherein the dispensing device of the present invention uses an air cylinder to adjust or control the dispensing amount of the photoresist. Unlike the dispensing device, by adjusting or controlling the dispensing amount of the photoresist by using a stepping motor and a bellows pump driven by the motor, the optimum amount control of the photoresist can be realized, and the container replacement of the present invention is also replaced. In the timing decision method, the user can visually identify Unlike the conventional method of determining when to replace the container, the photoresist container is replaced by allowing a user to accurately grasp the photoresist remaining amount (current cumulative amount and current amount) of the container currently being used by a computer monitor. It is possible to minimize the amount of residual photoresist left in the receiving container to be replaced when.

Description

Photoresist dispensing device for semiconductors and method for determining replacement time of receiving container using same {PHOTORESIST DISPENSOR FOR SEMICONDUCTOR AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING CHANGE TIMING OF PHOTORESIST BOTTLE USING IT}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and more particularly, to distribute a desired amount of photoresist (PR) on a wafer when performing a photolithography process to form an etching mask pattern or the like on the wafer. The present invention relates to a photoresist dispensing device for semiconductors and a method for determining the replacement timing of a photoresist container using the same.

As is well known, semiconductor devices have a form in which films of various patterns (eg, silicon film, oxide film, field oxide film, silicon nitride film, polysilicon film, metal wiring film, etc.) are stacked in a multilayer structure. In manufacturing a semiconductor device having a multi-layer structure, for example, various processes such as a deposition process, an oxidation process, a photolithography process, an etching process, a cleaning process, a rinsing process, and the like are required. Here, the present invention relates to the improvement of an apparatus for distributing the amount of photoresist supplied from a photoresist container to a wafer during a photo lithography process.

In general, a photoresist film (or pattern mask) formed on a wafer through a photolithography process in a semiconductor device fabrication process is used for etching an insulating pattern, a conductive film, or the like formed on a wafer in an arbitrary pattern. It is used as an etching mask, for which a dispensing apparatus for dispensing an appropriate amount of photoresist supplied from a receiving container via a photoresist supply pipe and a plurality of valves to a photoresist coating apparatus and the dispensed photoresist on a wafer There is a need for a photoresist coating apparatus for uniformly applying to a. Here, the photoresist coating apparatus is a device which forms a photoresist film of uniform thickness on a wafer by dropping a photoresist solution on a horizontal wafer and rotating the wafer at high speed.

On the other hand, the photoresist dispensing apparatus according to the present invention distributes the amount of photoresist discharged from the photoresist accommodating container and supplied to the photoresist coating apparatus as appropriate (or constant). There is something like that shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 5, a conventional photoresist dispensing apparatus includes a cylinder control circuit 502, a photoresist distributor 504, an intake valve 506, and a discharge valve 508. In addition, although the detailed illustration in the same figure is omitted, the supply pipe 506a connected to the intake valve 506 is connected to the photoresist container (reference numeral 102 in FIG. 1), and the supply pipe 508a connected to the discharge valve 508. Is connected to an air valve (reference numeral 112 in FIG. 1).

In addition, although the detailed illustration in FIG. 5 is abbreviate | omitted in the photoresist distributor 504, the quantity of photoresist discharged through the discharge valve 508 according to the drive of the air cylinder driven by the air provided from the exterior, and the air cylinder is carried out. Teflon bellows for adjusting (or dispensing), i.e., the amount of photoresist discharged through the contracting motion in response to the drive of the air cylinder.

Here, the cylinder control circuit 502 controls the drive of the air cylinder in the photoresist distributor 504, i.e., from the outside, on the basis of the drive control signal from the track system (refer to reference numeral 104 in FIG. 1) not shown in FIG. Control the amount of air supplied to the cylinder.

Therefore, in the conventional photoresist dispensing apparatus having the configuration as described above, the air cylinder in the photoresist dispenser 504 is driven by the externally provided air under the control from the cylinder control circuit 502 and in conjunction with the Teflon As the bellows performs the contracting motion, a portion (ie, a certain amount) of the photoresist supplied through the intake valve 506 and received in the photoresist distributor 504 is passed through the discharge valve 508 and the supply pipe 508a. It is delivered to a photoresist coating apparatus, not shown.

That is, in the conventional photoresist dispensing apparatus, the flow rate control for the photoresist is performed using an error cylinder. At this time, the photoresist to be supplied (coated) to the wafer during the photolithography process may be used in various situations (type of wafer, type and thickness of the etching material removed in the etching process performed after the photolithography process). If the amount of photoresist to be supplied is changed in this way, the target photoresist discharge amount is set (ie, the user manually adjusts the air pressure) through a manual operation of a user (or an equipment operator).

On the other hand, adjusting the distribution amount (or discharge amount) of the photoresist using an air cylinder has a limitation in quantitative control due to its control characteristics. For example, in a conventional dispensing device using an air cylinder, it is possible to adjust substantially to 2CC / strock when using DUV photoresist and to at least 2.6CC / strock when using I-LINE photoresist. It is possible.

However, even if the photoresist is distributed and supplied to the wafer in the minimum range, the amount actually used, i.e., the amount of photoresist actually applied on the wafer, is about half or less of the actual amount dispensed, and the remaining photoresists are practically It is being abandoned. That is, it is important that the photoresist film applied on the wafer has a uniform level or more, and the amount of photoresist used to obtain a photoresist film having a thickness capable of satisfying such uniformity is about half or less of the actual supply amount.

Therefore, considering that the photoresist used to produce a semiconductor chip having a fine pattern multilayer structure is very expensive, dispensing the photoresist in accordance with the conventional dispensing apparatus as described above does not require a large amount of photoresist. As a result, it is a large factor that increases the manufacturing cost of semiconductor chips.

In addition, in recent years, as the multilayering of semiconductor chips is further accelerated and the efforts to greatly reduce the manufacturing cost of semiconductor chips are being raced, the use of a conventional distribution device may be unnecessary due to the multilayering. As the amount of photoresist gradually increases, it is inevitable to act as a major obstacle in reducing the manufacturing cost of semiconductor chips.

On the other hand, in the case of employing a conventional dispensing device in the photoresist supply system, the user can visually identify the remaining amount of photoresist remaining in the photoresist accommodating container to determine when to replace the accommodating container, that is, the currently used accommodating container. When the photoresist in the container is determined to be almost exhausted, it is intended to be replaced with a new container.

On the other hand, since the photoresist has a property of responding to light, the outside of the photoresist accommodating container is generally protected by a black color. Therefore, it is practically very difficult to visually check the remaining state of the photoresist by visually observing the inside of the accommodating container which is covered with a color that is difficult to visually distinguish the remaining state.

Therefore, when judging the replacement time of the photoresist container with the naked eye according to the conventional method, it is difficult to check the exact remaining state, which results in frequent discarding despite the fact that the photoresist remains usable. After all, this is another factor that increases the manufacturing cost of semiconductor chips.

Accordingly, the present invention is to solve the problems of the conventional prior art, by distributing the optimum amount of photoresist required for the formation of the photoresist film applied on the semiconductor wafer using a stepping motor, thereby reducing the loss of the photoresist. It is an object of the present invention to provide a photoresist distribution device for semiconductors that can be minimized.

Another object of the present invention is to calculate the current remaining amount of the photoresist in the container based on the number of times of photoresist dispensing and the amount of dispensing used each time, and automatically determine the replacement time of the photoresist container based on the calculated current remaining amount information. The present invention provides a method for determining the timing of replacement of a container.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dispensing apparatus for controlling the amount of photoresist discharged from a photoresist accommodating container and provided to a coating apparatus through a supply pipe having a predetermined length. A memory block for storing a preset recipe; A control block for generating a dispensing adjustment initialization signal in response to the wafer being placed on the seating portion of the coating apparatus, and generating a drive control signal for dispensing adjustment based on the stored recipe; A motor driving block configured to generate a stepping motor driving signal using a power supplied from an external device in response to the driving control signal; And a stepping motor operated by the motor driving signal, initializing a dispensing adjustment position in response to the initialization signal, and discharging from the receiving container through driving of the stepping motor to provide the coating apparatus with the coating apparatus. Provided is a photoresist dispensing apparatus for a semiconductor comprising a photoresist dispenser for adjusting the amount.

The present invention according to another aspect for achieving the above object, the photoresist container using a dispensing device for controlling the amount of photoresist discharged from the photoresist container and provided to the coating apparatus through a supply pipe having a predetermined length CLAIMS 1. A method of determining when to replace a, comprising: a first step of initializing a position of a bellows pump for distributing photoresist when an operation operation signal is input in a standby state; A second step of driving the bellows pump stepping motor based on a predetermined process condition to discharge the photoresist having a predetermined distribution amount and to supply it to the coating apparatus; A third step of calculating a current cumulative usage amount and a current remaining amount based on a total usage amount and a current usage amount of the container, and storing the calculated current cumulative usage information and current remaining amount information; A fourth process of automatically updating and storing the current cumulative usage information and the current remaining amount information based on current usage information each time the first to third processes are repeated; A fifth step of checking whether the current remaining amount becomes less than or equal to a preset alarm remaining amount while repeating the first to fourth steps; A sixth step of extracting remaining state data including the stored total capacity information, the current cumulative usage information, and the current remaining amount information when the current remaining amount becomes less than the preset alarm remaining amount, and transferring the remaining amount state data to a control device connected to the distribution device; And a seventh step of displaying the remaining state data on a monitor connected to the control device.

1 is a block diagram of a typical photoresist supply system suitable for applying a photoresist dispensing apparatus according to the present invention;

2 is a block diagram of a semiconductor photoresist distribution apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a side cross-sectional view showing the structure of the photoresist dispenser shown in FIG. 2 as an example;

4 automatically detects the current cumulative usage amount and the current remaining amount of the photoresist in the accommodation container based on the total capacity, the current usage amount, and the one-time usage amount of the photoresist container according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Flowchart showing the process of automatically determining when to replace a container based on information,

5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional photoresist dispensing apparatus employed in a photoresist supply system.

<Description of the code | symbol about the principal part of drawing>

102 photoresist container 110 control valve

202: control block 204: memory block

206: motor drive block 208: PR distributor

300: mounting block 302: lower support

304: upper support 306: drive member

306a: drive shaft 308: bell screw

310: Retainer 312: Rod

314: stepping motor 314a: motor shaft

316: pulley 318: timing belt

320: bellows 320a: bellows shaft

322: sensor support 324: optical sensor

The above and other objects and various advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the preferred embodiments of the present invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings by those skilled in the art.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram of a typical photoresist supply system suitable for applying a photoresist dispensing apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the photoresist supply system includes a photoresist receiving vessel 102, a track system 104, a solenoid valve 106 and a photoresist dispensing device 108, a regulating valve 110, an air valve 112. And a suction valve 114. In addition, between the photoresist container 102 and the control valve 110 is connected to the supply pipe 102a, between the control valve 110 and the air valve 112 is connected to the supply pipe 110a, the air valve 112 ) And the suction valve 114 is connected to the supply pipe (112a). In addition, a supply pipe 114a oriented so as to face the wafer 116 seated on the photoresist coating apparatus (not shown) is connected to the discharge side of the suction valve 114.

Here, the track system 104, solenoid valve 106 and photoresist dispensing device 108 represent a photoresist control system, the photoresist receiving vessel 102, the regulating valve 110, the air valve 112 and the like. Suction valve 114 represents a photoresist supply system.

First, the photoresist accommodating container 102 contains a photoresist (eg, a DUV photoresist, an I-LINE photoresist, etc.) to be applied to a predetermined thickness on the wafer 116 during a photolithography process. The photoresist accommodated here is discharged through the supply pipe 102a and provided to the regulating valve 104 at the time of the photoresist dispensing process under the control of the photoresist control system.

The track system 104 then includes, for example, a microprocessor, which performs the overall operational control of the photoresist supply system, i.e. the solenoid valve 106 when a user manipulation signal for dispensing the photoresist is input. It controls the operation of the photoresist dispensing apparatus 108 at the same time as controlling the operation of and also the suction operation of the suction valve 114 installed in the photoresist supply system. Here, the solenoid valve 106 controls the on / off operation of the air valve 112 in response to the control signal provided from the track system 104 described above.

On the other hand, the photoresist dispensing apparatus 108, which is directly related to the present invention, controls the discharge amount of the photoresist by controlling the regulating valve 110 in response to the drive control signal provided from the track system. A detailed operation description of the dispensing apparatus 108 will be described later in detail with reference to Figs. 2 and 3 showing the detailed block, that is, the block configuration of the dispensing apparatus according to the present invention.

In addition, the control valve 110 is shown separately from the photoresist dispensing apparatus for convenience of explanation and for the purpose of understanding, but may be formed integrally with the photoresist dispensing apparatus 108 which is directly related to the present invention. Thus, a predetermined amount of photoresist determined according to control from the photoresist dispensing apparatus 108 is discharged to the supply pipe 110a. In addition, the air valve 112 is turned on / off according to the on / off driving signal provided from the solenoid valve 106. In the on state (that is, during photoresist dispensing), the air valve 112 flows in through the inlet side supply pipe 110a. The photoresist is transferred to the supply pipe 112a on the outlet side, and is cut off between the supply pipe 110a and the supply pipe 112a in the off state (that is, when the photoresist is undistributed).

On the other hand, the suction valve 114 always maintains an on state (ie, an open state) when the power supply of the photoresist supply system is on, and at this time, the photoresist supplied through the supply pipe 112a and the supply pipe 114a. Is provided on the wafer 116 seated in a photoresist coating apparatus, not shown. In addition, the suction valve 114 sucks the residual photoresist remaining in the supply pipe 112a when the suction drive signal is applied from the track system 104 to remove the residual photoresist in the supply pipe 112a.

Here, the operation of the suction valve 114 to remove the residual photoresist in the supply pipe 112a is performed only when the photoresist supply system is not used for a long time, which is the case when the photoresist supply system is not used for a long time. This is to prevent the phenomenon that the photoresist remaining at 112a is cured and the supply pipe is clogged. In addition, the photoresist supply system, although not shown in detail in FIG. 1, is provided with a feedback supply system for re-receiving the photoresist sucked through the suction valve 114 into the photoresist accommodating container 102 for reuse. .

Thus, in a typical photoresist supply system having the above-described configuration, in response to control of the control system, the photoresist container 102 → supply pipe 102a → control valve 110 → supply pipe 110a → air valve A predetermined amount of photoresist is provided to the photoresist coating apparatus through a supply line 112a → a suction valve 114 → a supply line 114a, and as a result, a predetermined amount of photoresist is set on the wafer 116. Is applied.

Next, the photoresist distribution device for semiconductors which concerns on this invention suitable for application to the photoresist supply system which has the structure as mentioned above is demonstrated in detail.

2 is a block diagram of a semiconductor photoresist distribution device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, which includes a control block 202, a memory block 204, a motor driving block 206, and a photoresist distributor 208. do.

Referring to FIG. 2, the control block 202 performs overall operation control of the dispensing device, including, for example, a microprocessor, wherein the wafer deposit signal (ie, photoresist coating) from the track system 104 of FIG. When a signal is sensed that the wafer to be coated with the photoresist film is placed on the seating part of the apparatus, a detection signal from the optical sensor (reference numeral 324 of FIG. 3) in the photoresist distributor 208 provided through line L21 is applied. , I.e. by detecting the current position of the bellows pump (reference 320 in FIG. 3) based on the bellows position detection signal and providing a bellows pump initialization signal on line L21 based on the detection result (i.e., Set the bellows pump to its initial position.

In addition, in the control block 202, the bellows pump is initialized, and then a drive control signal for driving the motor is generated based on a recipe (i.e., a process condition such as target discharge amount data) previously stored in the memory block 204. To the drive block 206.

At this time, in the memory block 204, target distribution amount (or discharge amount) data information, total capacity information of the photoresist contained in the photoresist accommodating container, visual warning message data, and the like are stored in advance. The remaining amount status information provided from the control block 202, that is, information such as the current cumulative usage amount and the current remaining amount of the photoresist is stored.

Next, the motor drive block 206 is configured to operate the stepping motor (reference numeral 314 in FIG. 3) provided in the photoresist distributor 208 in response to the drive control signal provided from the control block 202 described above. The motor drive signal is generated, i.e., when the drive control signal is applied from the control block 202, power from the outside not shown is provided to the stepping motor.

On the other hand, the photoresist distributor 208 includes a stepping motor, a bellows pump, a regulating valve, an optical sensor, and the like, and in response to a motor driving signal provided from the motor driving block 206, drives the stepping motor to drive the bellows pump. The contraction of the photoresist distributor 208 by adjusting (or dispensing) a predetermined amount of photoresist to the air valve 112 shown in FIG. An operation process will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3, which shows an example of a detailed configuration.

3 is a side sectional view showing the structure of a photoresist dispenser employed in the photoresist dispensing apparatus of the present invention as an example.

Referring to FIG. 3, the lower support 302 and the upper support 304 are fixedly mounted to the mounting block 300 on the inner wall of the photoresist distributor 208 at predetermined intervals, and the lower support 302 and the upper support ( Rotatable drive shaft 306a, which is rotatably supported by a bearing, is provided with a bell screw 308 therein, and protrudes in an outward direction of the lower support 302 (that is, the opposite direction of the upper support 304). The drive member 306 having a is mounted. Here, the drive shaft 306a is formed integrally with the bell screw 308.

Furthermore, the retainer is movably mounted to the drive member 306 through the rod 312 and moves (straightly moves) in the vertical direction (or the left and right directions) in accordance with the rotation of the bell screw 308 in the drive member 306. 310 is provided.

On the other hand, a portion of the lower support 302 is provided with a stepping motor 314 having a motor shaft 314a, wherein the motor shaft 314a is in the outward direction of the lower support (that is, the opposite direction of the upper support 304). The motor shaft 314a is engaged with the drive shaft 306a of the drive member 306 through the pulley 316 and the timing belt 318.

Furthermore, a part of the upper support 304 is provided with a bellow pump having a bellows 320 fixedly mounted to the upper support 304 through the bellows shaft 320a, and the upper end of the bellows pump is provided with a control valve 110. And movement (ie, up, down, left and right movements) are combined. At this time, the supply pipe 102a extending from the photoresist accommodating container 102 of FIG. 1 is connected to the inlet side of the control valve 110, and the supply pipe 110a extending to the air valve 112 of FIG. 1 is connected to the outlet side. .

In addition, a sensor support 322 perpendicular to the downward direction is fixedly mounted at the free end of the upper support 304, and an optical sensor 324 is mounted to the sensor support 322. Here, the optical sensor 324 is for detecting the position of the bellows pump (or the position of the retainer 310) mounted on the upper side of the retainer 310, the sensing signal detected here is the control block (Fig. 202).

Therefore, the photoresist dispenser 208 having the above-described configuration is adapted to the rotational force transmitted from the motor shaft 314a to the timing belt 318 to the drive shaft 306a by forward or reverse rotational driving of the stepping motor 314. As a result, the bell screw 308 in the drive member 306 rotates, the retainer 310 moves in the up or down direction (or the left or right direction) in conjunction with the rotation of the bell screw 308, and then the retainer ( The bellows pump fixedly mounted on the upper side of the 310 moves in the up-down direction (or the left-right direction) (that is, the linear movement), and flows in through the supply pipe 102a on the inlet side and exits the supply pipe 110a from the control valve 110. The photoresist required for controlling the amount of photoresist discharged to the photoresist, that is, to apply a photoresist film having a predetermined thickness on the wafer 116 shown in FIG.

As described above, in the photoresist dispensing apparatus according to the present invention, unlike a conventional dispensing apparatus that adjusts or controls the dispensing amount of the photoresist using an air cylinder, a stepping motor and a bellows pump driven by the motor are used. By adjusting or controlling the distribution amount of the photoresist, it is possible to realize the optimum amount control of the photoresist and to reliably prevent unnecessary consumption of the photoresist used to apply the photoresist film.

The inventors of the present invention use the dispensing apparatus of the present invention employing a stepping motor and distributing the photoresist using a conventional dispensing apparatus employing an error cylinder to apply a photoresist film having the same thickness onto the wafer. A comparative experiment was conducted comparing the distribution of photoresists, and the results are shown in the table below. At this time, the DUV photoresist (PR) was experimented on 7 layers (ie, 7 times PR distribution), I-LINE PR was tested on 16 layers (16 PR distributions). In this experiment, the photoresist dispensing amount was set to a minimum range that can be controlled within a range in which the uniformity of the photoresist film formed on the wafer can maintain a predetermined level or more.

PR people 1 usage Application Floors Cumulative Usage The present invention DUV PR 1.2 CC / stroke 7 8.4 CC / stroke I-LINE 1.2 CC / stroke 16 19.2 CC / stroke Conventional device DUV PR 2.0 CC / stroke 7 14 CC / stroke I-LINE 2.6 CC / stroke 16 41.6 CC / stroke

As can be seen from the experimental results shown in Table 1 above, in the case of using the DUV PR, 8.4 CC / stroke is consumed for 7 distributions in the apparatus of the present invention, while 14 CC / stroke in the conventional apparatus. It can be seen that this is consumed. That is, assuming that the PR distribution of the present invention is performed seven times, it can be seen that the PR of about 5.6 CC / stroke is reduced compared to the conventional apparatus.

In addition, in the case of using the I-LINE PR, it can be seen that in the apparatus of the present invention, 19.2 CC / stroke is consumed to dispense 16 times, while in the conventional apparatus, 41.6 CC / stroke is consumed. That is, assuming that 16 times of PR distribution is performed, it can be seen that when the distribution apparatus of the present invention is used, PR of about 22.4 CC / stroke is reduced compared to the conventional apparatus.

That is, the distribution device of the present invention, compared with the conventional device can be reduced by about 40% in DUV PR, 50% or more in I-LINE PR.

Therefore, according to the present invention, by adjusting the dispensing amount of the photoresist provided to the wafer for the application of the photoresist film by using a stepping motor and a bellows pump, it is used to prevent unnecessary consumption of the photoresist during the dispensing process. The amount of photoresist can be effectively suppressed, and the manufacturing cost of the semiconductor chip can be greatly reduced.

Referring back to FIG. 2, in the control block 202, each time one dispensing operation is completed, the remaining state of the photoresist in the receiving container is calculated, i.e., the current usage amount (ie, one time usage amount) to the previous cumulative usage amount. And subtract the total usage amount from the added accumulated usage amount to calculate the current remaining amount. The accumulated usage data and current usage data calculated in this way are stored in the memory block 204, respectively.

Next, the control block 202 provides the remaining amount status information of the photoresist calculated through the above-described process while performing the distribution of the photoresist on the monitor of the computer, not shown according to the user's request, or the current remaining amount. When this preset alarm level is reached, it is automatically provided on the computer's monitor (and / or alarm sound through the speaker). The remaining status information is provided on the monitor to determine when to replace the photoresist container. The process of doing so will be explained.

4 automatically detects the current remaining amount of the photoresist in the accommodating container based on the total capacity of the photoresist, the current amount of use, and the one-time amount of use according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and based on the detected current amount of remaining information This flowchart illustrates the process of automatically determining when to replace.

Referring to FIG. 4, when the photoresist dispensing apparatus is in a state of waiting for dispensing operation (step 402), in the control block 202 of FIG. 2, an operation signal for starting operation of the dispensing apparatus is input from a key panel, not shown. (Step 404), if the check operation here inputs an operation start operation signal, the bellows pump is initialized based on the detection signal provided from the optical sensor 324 shown in FIG. 314 is driven to set the bellows pump to its initial position. At this time, if the bellows pump is already set in the initial position, the step of driving the stepping motor 314 for initialization will be omitted.

Next, the stepping motor 314 is driven based on a preset recipe (that is, process conditions such as target dispensing amount (or discharge amount) data) pre-stored in the memory block 204, and the control valve 110 is used. By discharging the set dispensing amount, a predetermined amount of photoresist is provided to the photoresist coating apparatus (step 408).

Subsequently, the control block 202 calculates the current cumulative usage amount and the current remaining amount based on the total capacity information in the storage container and the current usage information (that is, one-time usage information) previously stored in the memory block 204, and then the memory block ( 204) (step 410). Here, the calculated current cumulative usage amount may be calculated by adding the current usage amount to the previous cumulative usage amount or by subtracting the current usage amount from the previous remaining amount. In this case, when the container is used for the first time after replacing the container (ie, the first distribution of the photoresist), the single use amount will be the current cumulative amount because there is no previous cumulative amount.

On the other hand, in step 412, it is checked whether or not the current remaining amount is less than or equal to a preset alarm remaining amount (for example, 30 CC / stroke, 50 CC / stroke, etc.). When the amount is more than the remaining amount, the control block 202 checks whether the remaining amount information request signal corresponding to the user's operation is input from the external key panel (step 414).

If it is determined in the step 414 that there is no remaining information request signal, the process returns to step 406 described above and repeats the subsequent steps. That is, in the present invention, the current cumulative usage amount and the current remaining amount are calculated and stored in the memory block 204 whenever the distribution control is performed each time through the repeated execution of the steps 406 to 414 (that is, the previous cumulative usage amount). And store update for the previous remaining amount.

On the other hand, when the remaining amount information request signal is input from the external key panel as a result of the check in step 414, the control block 202 extracts the current accumulated usage data information and the current remaining amount data information stored in the memory block 204. It is then forwarded to the monitor side of the computer, not shown (step 416). Thus, on the monitor of the computer, the current remaining state data of the receiving container currently used by the photoresist dispensing device, that is, the remaining state data representing the current cumulative usage amount and the current remaining amount as a number (step 418), the user can present the It will be easy to recognize the remaining state of the receiving container in use.

As described above, provision of the remaining amount information according to the remaining amount information request signal is possible in any state in which the photoresist dispensing apparatus is in operation, and this remaining amount information providing process can be performed separately from the distribution control of the photoresist. Thus, the user can easily and accurately check the remaining state of the receiving container currently in use at any time during the operation of the photoresist dispensing apparatus.

On the other hand, if it is determined in the step 412 that the current remaining amount is less than or equal to the preset alarm remaining amount (eg, 30 CC / stroke, 50 CC / stroke, etc.), then the control block 202 determines that the user operation is performed. Regardless of the remaining amount information request, the current accumulated usage data information, the current remaining data information, and the visual warning message stored in the memory block 204 (for example, "Please prepare to replace the photoresist holding container", etc.) Is automatically withdrawn and then sent to the monitor side of the computer, not shown (step 420).

As a result, on the monitor of the computer, the current remaining state data (that is, remaining state data representing the current accumulated usage amount and the current remaining amount as a number) of the current container used by the photoresist dispensing device is displayed and a visual warning message is displayed. (Step 422). In this case, the visual warning message may be set to be displayed on the monitor in a blinking form to increase the recognition rate of the user.

Thus, the user can automatically and accurately recognize the replacement timing for the photoresist container while the photoresist dispensing device is in operation, and this recognition will allow the user to replace the photoresist container at the correct time.

At this time, the remaining status data and the visual warning message are continuously displayed on the monitor until the remaining capacity of the container currently being used is almost exhausted (that is, when the replacement time is reached) starting from the time when the current remaining amount is less than the preset alarm remaining amount. The current cumulative usage amount and the current remaining amount included in the remaining amount status data displayed in this manner are continuously updated each time the photoresist is distributed, that is, continuously updated based on the update data provided from the control block 202. It would be desirable to. This will effectively prevent the user from overlooking the replacement time due to a short mistake (ie, lack of monitoring for a while).

In addition, in the present exemplary embodiment, only the visual warning message is displayed on the monitor when the current remaining amount is less than or equal to the preset alarm level. However, in addition to the visual warning, an audible warning sound (eg , “Beep-beep, beep-bee”, etc. In this case, it may be possible to provide more reliable user recognition (ie, when the container is replaced) than to perform only visual warning.

Therefore, according to the method for determining the container replacement time according to the present invention, unlike the conventional method in which the user directly identifies the container and judges the replacement time of the container, the photoresist remaining amount of the container currently being used by the user through a computer monitor. Since the state can be accurately understood, the amount of residual photoresist left in the container to be replaced when the photoresist container is replaced can be minimized, so that the photoresist is discarded together with the container to be replaced. The rising cost can be effectively suppressed.

As described above, the photoresist dispensing apparatus of the present invention uses a stepping motor and a bellows pump to adjust the dispensing amount of the photoresist provided to the wafer for application of the photoresist film, thus eliminating the need for photoresist during the dispensing process. By effectively suppressing the amount of photoresist used to prevent consumption, the manufacturing cost of the semiconductor chip can be greatly reduced.

In addition, according to the method of determining the replacement time of the container according to the present invention, since the user can accurately determine the state of the photoresist remaining amount for the container currently in use through a monitor, the amount of residual photoresist remaining in the container to be replaced is minimized. can do.

Claims (11)

A dispensing apparatus for controlling an amount of photoresist discharged from a photoresist container and provided to a coating apparatus through a supply pipe having a predetermined length, A memory block for storing a predetermined recipe for photoresist distribution; A control block which generates a dispensing adjustment initialization signal in response to the wafer being placed on the seating portion of the coating apparatus and generates a drive control signal for dispensing adjustment based on the preset recipe; A motor driving block configured to generate a stepping motor driving signal using a power supplied from an external device in response to the driving control signal; And An amount of photoresist having a stepping motor actuated by the motor drive signal, for initializing a dispensing adjustment position in response to the initialization signal, and being discharged from the receiving container through the drive of the stepping motor and provided to the coating apparatus; Photoresist distribution device for a semiconductor consisting of a photoresist distributor for controlling the. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control block calculates a current remaining amount information based on a total capacity of the receiving container and a current cumulative amount of use each time the photoresist is dispensed, and stores the current remaining amount information in the memory block. And providing the current remaining amount information stored when there is a remaining amount information request to an external display device connected to the dispensing device. The photoresist dispenser of claim 1 or 2, wherein the photoresist distributor comprises: The stepping motor driven in response to the motor driving signal; A bellows pump linearly interlocked with the forward or reverse rotation driving of the stepping motor; A control valve which contracts according to the linear motion of the bellows pump and regulates the amount of photoresist discharged from the receiving container and provided to the coating apparatus; And And a position sensing means for sensing the position of the bellows pump and providing it to the control block. The photoresist dispenser of claim 3 wherein: A first support member for fixedly supporting the stepping motor; A second support member spaced apart from the first support member by a predetermined distance; A drive member having a rotatable bell screw therein and connected between the first and second support members; A third support member movably mounted to the drive member and linearly moving in a left-right or up-down direction according to the rotation of the bell screw, and fixedly supporting the bellows pump; And And a fourth support member for fixedly holding the position sensing means. 5. The photoresist distribution device for semiconductor according to claim 4, wherein the fourth support member is fixed to the free end side of the second support member. 1. A method of determining replacement timing of a photoresist container by using a dispensing device that controls the amount of photoresist discharged from the photoresist container and provided to the coating apparatus through a supply pipe having a predetermined length, the method comprising: A first step of initializing the position of the bellows pump for distributing photoresist when an operation operation signal is input in the standby state; A second step of driving the bellows pump stepping motor based on a predetermined process condition to discharge the photoresist having a predetermined distribution amount and to supply it to the coating apparatus; A third step of calculating a current cumulative usage amount and a current remaining amount based on a total usage amount and a current usage amount of the container, and storing the calculated current cumulative usage information and current remaining amount information; A fourth process of automatically updating and storing the current cumulative usage information and the current remaining amount information based on current usage information each time the first to third processes are repeated; A fifth step of checking whether the current remaining amount becomes less than or equal to a preset alarm remaining amount while repeating the first to fourth steps; A sixth step of extracting remaining state data including the stored total capacity information, the current cumulative usage information, and the current remaining amount information when the current remaining amount becomes less than the preset alarm remaining amount, and transferring the remaining amount state data to a control device connected to the distribution device; And And a seventh step of displaying the remaining state data on a monitor connected to the control device. 7. The determination of replacement time of the container using the photoresist dispensing device according to claim 6, wherein the display of the remaining state data continues until the container currently in use is replaced and the dispensing device is reset. Way. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the remaining state data displayed is automatically updated each time the photoresist is dispensed. 10. The method of claim 6, 7, or 8, wherein the method further comprises: when displaying the remaining status data, retrieving a pre-stored visual warning message and displaying the same on the monitor together. A method for determining the replacement timing of a container using a photoresist dispensing device. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises generating an audible alarm through a speaker connected to the control device when the remaining status data and the visual alert message are displayed. Method for determining when to replace a container using a device. The method of claim 6, 7, or 8, wherein the method comprises: Checking whether the remaining amount information request signal according to a user's operation is input from the control device while repeating the first to fourth processes; When the remaining amount information request signal is input, extracting remaining state data including the stored total capacity information, current cumulative usage information, and current remaining amount information to the control device; And And displaying the remaining state data on a monitor connected to the control device.