KR100448346B1 - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a substrate processing apparatus capable of improving the line width uniformity of a resist film on a substrate after development.

The substrate subjected to the resist coating treatment in the coating treatment section SC1 is subjected to the pre-exposure heat treatment in the heat treatment section HP1. Thereafter, the substrate is led from the transport robot TR1 to the exposure apparatus through the interface IF, and is returned to the transport robot TR1 again after the exposure process ends. Then, the substrate is loaded into the post-exposure bake plate section PEB via the edge exposure processing section EE1, and the post-exposure heat treatment is performed. At this time, the edge exposure processing unit EE1 performs the post-exposure bake so that the influence of the temperature gradient generated on the substrate in the pre-exposure heat treatment on the line width and the influence of the temperature gradient generated on the substrate in the post-exposure heat treatment on the line width are offset. The direction of the substrate in the plate portion PEB is adjusted.

Description

Substrate Processing Equipment {SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS}

The present invention applies a resist to surfaces of semiconductor substrates, glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices, glass substrates for photomasks, substrates for optical discs (hereinafter, simply referred to as "substrates"), and is followed by pre-exposure heat treatment and post-exposure heating. The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus that performs processing.

In general, a series of substrate treatments are achieved by sequentially performing a resist coating treatment, an exposure treatment, a developing treatment, and a heat treatment accompanying them. That is, a substrate on which a photoresist (in the present specification, a chemically amplified resist is applied, and hereinafter simply referred to as a "resist") is coated on a surface before heat exposure (hereinafter referred to as "prebaking"). ) Is performed. Then, the substrate is subjected to an exposure treatment, followed by a post-exposure heat treatment (hereinafter referred to as "post exposure bake"), followed by a development treatment using a developer, followed by substrate production.

Among the above, the prebaking is performed to evaporate the extra solvent component in the applied resist to firm the adhesion between the resist and the substrate. The post-exposure bake is performed for the purpose of activating a chemical reaction causing a change in the dissolution rate in the developer by the catalysis of the product generated by the photochemical reaction during exposure. All of these perform heat processing for a predetermined time with a predetermined temperature with respect to a board | substrate, and are performed by the heat processing part provided with a hotplate.

By the way, a board | substrate is carried in by the board | substrate conveyance robot about the said heat processing part which prebakes and post-exposure bakes, and a board | substrate is taken out by a conveyance robot. Then, the transport robot accesses the transport arm at the inlet side of the heat treatment unit. Therefore, in the heat treatment part, the side of the inlet side is more likely to be exposed to the outside air than the inside (the side opposite to the side of the inlet side), and the temperature on the side of the inlet side tends to be slightly lower than the inside temperature. For this reason, also in the prebaking and the post-exposure bake, a temperature gradient occurs that the temperature of the inlet-side substrate is slightly lower than the inside temperature.

In addition, although the direction of the board | substrate provided to a series of substrate processing is in the same direction in each of the process before an exposure process, and the process after an exposure process, the process before an exposure process, the process after an exposure process, Is in a different direction. This is because the exposure apparatus (stepper) that performs the exposure treatment performs the treatment by rotating the substrate in the direction most suitable for the exposure treatment irrespective of the direction of the substrate before the exposure treatment, and leads to the process after the exposure treatment as it is. Because.

Therefore, conventionally, no adjustment is made between the direction of the substrate in the prebaking and the direction of the substrate in the post-exposure bake, and as a result, the temperature gradient of the substrate in the prebaking and the substrate in the post-exposure bake The correlation with the temperature gradient of was various miscellaneous. In addition, due to such circumstances, there is a problem that the line width uniformity of the resist film of the substrate after the development treatment is impaired and the yield of the product is lowered.

This invention is made | formed in view of the said subject, and an object of this invention is to provide the substrate processing apparatus which can improve the line | wire width uniformity of the resist film in the board | substrate after image development processing.

1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention;

2 is a view for explaining an arrangement of a processing unit in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1;

3 is a diagram showing a correlation between a resist film thickness and a resist line width after development;

4 is a diagram showing line width uniformity when the type of resist is negative resist;

5 is a diagram showing line width uniformity when the type of resist is a positive resist;

6 is a plan view schematically showing an outline of an edge exposure processing unit;

7 is a plan view schematically showing an outline of a post-exposure bake plate portion.

[Description of the code]

10 control unit, EE1, EE2 edge exposure processing unit,

HP1, HP2, heat treatment part, PEB post-exposure bake plate part,

MEANS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM In order to solve the said subject, invention of Claim 1 is provided with the pre-exposure bake part which performs pre-exposure heat processing to the board | substrate before exposure after resist coating, and the post-exposure bake part which performs post-exposure bake process to the board | substrate before post-exposure image development. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: (a) a substrate rotating means which is provided on any one of the substrate processing steps to the post-exposure bake portion after performing the exposure, and (b) the substrate rotating means. And a rotation control means for controlling, the effect of the temperature gradient generated on the substrate in the pre-exposure heat treatment on the line width and the temperature gradient generated on the substrate in the post-exposure heat treatment on the line width. The relative angle between the direction of the substrate in the pre-exposure bake portion and the direction of the substrate in the post-exposure bake portion is imaged so that the influence is cancelled. There was adjusted to the substrate rotation means.

In the invention of claim 2, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the invention of claim 1, the rotation control means adjusts the relative angle in accordance with the type of resist applied to the substrate and the thickness of the resist film.

In the invention of claim 3, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the invention of claim 2, the resist applied to the substrate is a negative resist, and the thicker the resist film thickness is in the film thickness of the resist applied to the substrate. In the case where the line width becomes thick, the substrate rotation means is controlled by the rotation control means so that the relative angle is 0 degrees.

In the invention of claim 4, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the invention of claim 2, the resist applied to the substrate is a positive resist, and the thicker the resist film thickness is in the film thickness of the resist applied to the substrate. In the case where the line width becomes thick, the rotation control means controls the substrate rotation means so that the relative angle is 180 degrees.

In the invention of claim 5, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the invention of claim 2, the resist applied to the substrate is a negative resist, and in the film thickness of the resist applied to the substrate, the line width becomes thicker. In this case, the substrate rotation means is controlled by the rotation control means so that the relative angle is 180 degrees.

In the invention of claim 6, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the invention of claim 2, the resist applied to the substrate is a positive resist, and the thicker the resist film thickness is in the film thickness of the resist applied to the substrate. When the line width becomes thin, the rotation control means controls the substrate rotation means so that the relative angle is 0 degrees.

Moreover, the invention of Claim 7 is the substrate processing apparatus provided with the pre-exposure bake part which performs pre-exposure heat processing to the board | substrate before exposure after resist coating, and the post-exposure bake part which performs post-exposure bake process to the board | substrate before post-exposure image development. (a) a substrate rotating means for rotating the substrate after being subjected to the exposure to any one of the substrate processing steps up to the post-exposure bake portion, and (b) a rotation control means for controlling the substrate rotating means. And the inlet side end portion of the substrate in the pre-exposure bake is located at the inlet side or the inside of the post-exposure bake according to the type of resist applied to the substrate and the thickness of the resist film applied to the rotation control means. The substrate is rotated by substrate rotating means.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiment of this invention is described in detail, referring drawings.

<1. Overall Configuration of Substrate Processing Equipment>

First, the whole structure of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on this invention is demonstrated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. FIG. 1A is a plan view of the substrate processing apparatus, and FIG. 1B is a front view of the substrate processing apparatus. 1, the XYZ rectangular coordinate system is attached in order to make the direction relationship clear. Here, the horizontal plane parallel to the bottom surface is XY plane, and the vertical direction is Z direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus is provided with the indexer ID which carries out a board | substrate, the some process part which processes a board | substrate, and the board | substrate conveyance means which conveys a board | substrate to each process part is arrange | positioned. It consists of an interface IF provided for carrying in / out of a board | substrate between the unit arrangement | positioning part MP and the exposure apparatus and unit arrangement | positioning part MP which are not shown in figure.

The unit arrangement unit MP has a chemical cabinet 11 for storing piping for supplying / discharging processing liquid such as a resist at the bottom thereof, and at the upper side thereof as a liquid processing portion for performing liquid treatment on the substrate. The coating processing units SC1 and SC2 (spin coater) for performing resist coating processing while rotating the substrate and the developing processing units SD1 and SD2 (spin developer) for developing the substrate after exposure are disposed. Moreover, above these liquid processing parts, the multistage heat processing part 20 which heat-processes a board | substrate is arrange | positioned in the front part and the back part of an apparatus. In addition, as shown in Fig. 1, the edge exposure processing unit exposing the edge portion of the substrate between the multi-stage thermal processing unit 20 at the front side (negative direction side in the Y direction) and the rear side (positive direction side in the Y direction) ( EE1 and EE2) are arrange | positioned, respectively.

The central portion of the apparatus fitted to the coating processing units SC1 and SC2 or the developing processing units SD1 and SD2 has access to surrounding pretreatment units (liquid processing unit, heat treatment unit and edge exposure processing units EE1 and EE2), As the substrate conveying means for conveying, a conveying robot TR1 is arranged. The conveying robot TR1 is movable in the vertical direction and rotatable about the central vertical axis.

In addition, at the top of the unit arrangement section MP, a filter fan unit FFU is provided which forms a downflow of clean air. Further, a filter fan unit (FFU) for forming a clean air downflow is provided on the liquid processing unit side immediately above each of the coating units (SC1, SC2) and the developing units (SD1, SD2).

Next, FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an arrangement of the processing unit in FIG. 1. Above the coating processing unit SC1, the multi-stage heat treatment unit 20 is disposed, and a heat treatment unit having a three-stage configuration is disposed. Among these, the heat processing part HP1 which heat-processes a board | substrate is provided in the 2nd stage position calculated from the lowest stage, and the heat processing part HP2 is similarly provided also in the 3rd stage. And at the bottom end, the cooling processing part CP1 which performs a cooling process with respect to a board | substrate is provided.

The multi-stage heat treatment unit 20 is also disposed above the coating treatment unit SC2, and a heat treatment unit having a two-stage structure is disposed. Among these, the adhesion strengthening part AHL1 which performs an adhesion strengthening process with respect to a board | substrate is provided in the position of the 1st stage from the lowest stage. Similarly, in the second stage, the adhesion reinforcing portion AHL2 is provided. In addition, in the case of the apparatus of this embodiment, the uppermost stage is in an empty state, but a heat treatment section, a cooling treatment section, or other heat treatment sections can be assembled according to the use and purpose.

The heat treatment unit having a three-stage structure is disposed as the multistage heat treatment unit 20 also above the developing treatment unit SD1. Among these, the cooling process part CP4 is provided in the position of the 1st stage from the lowest stage, and the heat processing parts HP3 and HP4 are provided in the position of 2nd stage and 3rd stage.

As the multi-stage heat treatment unit 20, a heat treatment unit having a three-stage configuration is disposed above the developing treatment unit SD2. Among these, the cooling processing parts CP2 and CP3 are provided in the position of the 1st and 2nd stage from the lowest stage, and the post-exposure bake plate part PEB which performs a post-exposure bake with respect to a board | substrate is provided in the position of a 3rd stage. .

Then, the transfer robot TR1 provided in the central portion of the unit placement unit MP sequentially transfers the liquid processing unit, the heat treatment unit, and the edge exposure processing units EE1 and EE2 to perform a predetermined process on the substrate. can do.

In addition, the interface IF is configured to temporarily stock such a substrate in the unit arrangement section MP in order to lead the substrate on which the application of resist is finished to the exposure apparatus side or to receive the substrate after exposure from the exposure apparatus side. Although it has a function and is not shown in figure, it is equipped with the robot which exchanges a board | substrate between the conveyance robot TR1, and the buffer cassette which mounts a board | substrate. In addition, the indexer ID is provided with a mounting part which mounts the cassette which can accommodate a some board | substrate, and the transfer robot (not shown) which transfers a board | substrate between the cassette and conveyance robot TR1, The unprocessed substrate is discharged from the cassette to the transfer robot TR1, and at the same time, the processed substrate is received by the transfer robot TR1 and stored in the cassette.

In addition, the substrate processing apparatus includes a control unit 10. The control part 10 is comprised using the computer, and is electrically connected to the conveyance robot TR1, the liquid processing part, the heat processing part, and the edge exposure processing parts EE1 and EE2, and manages and controls the whole operation | movement of them.

An example of substrate processing in this substrate processing apparatus is shown in Table 1 below. Such a processing procedure is previously input as a recipe, and the control part 10 conveys a board | substrate to the conveyance robot TR1 according to the recipe.

Processing Order Control ① Indexer ID ② Adhesion reinforcement part AHL1 (AHL2) ③ Cooling Treatment Unit CP1 ④ Coating treatment unit SC1 (SC2) ⑤ Heat treatment part HP1 (HP2) ⑥ Cooling Treatment Unit CP2 ⑦ Interface IF ⑧ Edge Exposure Processing Unit EE1 (EE2) ⑨ Post-exposure Bake Plate Part PEB ⑩ Cooling Treatment Unit CP3 ⑪ Developing section SD1 (SD2) ⑫ Heat treatment part HP3 (HP4) ⑬ Cooling Treatment Unit CP4 ⑭ Indexer ID

According to this processing procedure, the unprocessed substrate is discharged from the indexer ID, the adhesion reinforcement treatment, the cooling treatment, and the resist coating treatment are performed, followed by prebaking in the heat treatment unit HP1 (processing procedure ⑤). Then, it is led to the exposure apparatus through the interface IF after the cooling treatment and provided to the exposure treatment (processing procedure 7). Then, the exposed substrate is returned to the unit placement unit MP through the interface IF, and after the edge exposure is performed in the edge exposure processing unit EE1 (processing step ⑧), the post-exposure bake plate unit PEB is exposed. Post-exposure bake is performed (processing step 9), and then, cooling treatment and development are performed, and the substrate is returned to the indexer ID again. That is, in this embodiment, the heat processing part HP1 is corresponded to the pre-exposure bake part, and the post-exposure bake plate part PEB is corresponded to the post-exposure bake part, respectively.

In addition, in Table 1, the process part recorded and shown in parentheses has shown the process part to which parallel processing is performed. That is, since the time required in each processing step is not the same, two processing units which are equivalent to the process having a long time required are allocated to be processed by either of them. For example, the unprocessed substrate drawn out from the indexer ID is loaded into either empty side of the adhesion reinforcement unit AHL1 or the adhesion reinforcement unit AHL2, and the substrate on which the resist coating process is finished is the heat treatment unit HP1 or the like. It is carried in to any one of heat processing part HP2, and prebaking is performed. Therefore, the heat processing part HP2 also corresponds to the baking part before exposure. In addition, in this specification, in order to make understanding easy, it is assumed that a series of substrate processing is performed by sequentially conveying to processing parts other than the processing part recorded and shown in parentheses in Table 1.

<2. Orientation of the substrate in prebaking and post exposure bake>

In the processing procedure shown in Table 1, the direction of the substrate in each processing unit is the same in the process (processing procedures 1 to 7) until the substrate is discharged from the indexer ID and delivered to the interface IF. . That is, the procedure in which the board | substrate carried in the predetermined direction to each process part is carried out in the same direction as it is, and carried in to a process part by the next process in the direction as it is repeated is repeated. In addition, although coating process part SC1 performs resist coating, rotating a board | substrate, since the rotation is stopped in the same direction as the direction of the board | substrate before rotation, the direction of the board | substrate before and behind a process becomes the same.

By the way, the board | substrate is provided with the orientation flat or notch which shows the crystal orientation normally, and the direction of a board | substrate is recognized by optically detecting such an orientation flat or notch. Also in the present embodiment, the cooling treatment unit CP2 is applied by the adhesion reinforcing unit AHL1 in order to detect the direction of the substrate in the process from when the substrate is discharged from the indexer ID to the interface IF. A mechanism for optically detecting the orientation flat or notch of the substrate and detecting the direction thereof is provided in any one of the processing units. In addition, instead of providing an optical detector port in any of the processing units from the adhesion-enhancing unit AHL1 to the cooling processing unit CP2, an optical detection processing unit may be provided in the substrate processing apparatus. The direction of the substrate before the detected exposure process is transmitted to and stored in the control unit 10.

Subsequently, the substrate is guided to the exposure apparatus that performs the exposure treatment. However, the exposure apparatus rotates the substrate in the direction most suitable for the exposure treatment and performs the treatment regardless of the direction of the substrate before the exposure treatment. It leads to the process after an exposure process. Therefore, the direction of the board | substrate carried into the edge exposure process part EE1 is likely to be different from the direction of the board | substrate in a process before an exposure process.

Here, in the present embodiment, the control unit 10 gives an instruction to the edge exposure processing unit EE1 while referring to the direction of the substrate before the exposure processing, and the edge exposure processing unit EE1 opens the substrate based on the instruction. It rotates and carries out the direction of the said board | substrate to the same direction as the direction of the board | substrate in an exposure process preprocess, or to rotate 180 degrees. Therefore, in this embodiment, the edge exposure processing part EE1 (EE2) corresponds to a board | substrate rotation means, and the control part 10 corresponds to a rotation control means.

6 is a plan view schematically showing the outline of the edge exposure processing unit EE1. From the beginning, the edge exposure processing section EE1 irradiates light to the edge of the substrate in the exposure section 50 so as to remove the resist film at the edge of the substrate W, while the driving section 51 rotates the substrate. It is a process part which exposes the whole edge part of (W). In general, the edge exposure processing section EE1 optically detects the orientation flat 55 (or notch) on the edge sensor 52 to perform edge exposure while recognizing the rotation angle of the substrate. As a result, the edge exposure processing unit EE1 includes a drive unit 51 for rotating the substrate and an edge sensor 52 which is a mechanism for detecting the rotation angle of the substrate in order to perform edge exposure. In the present embodiment, the edge exposure processing unit EE1 adjusts the direction of the substrate in accordance with the instruction of the control unit 10 using the function originally provided.

The edge part exposure is complete | finished, and the board | substrate with which direction adjustment was performed is guide | induced to the post-exposure bake plate part PEB in the direction as it is after adjustment. In the process from the post-exposure bake plate section PEB to the indexer ID, the direction of the substrate in each processing section is the same as in the pre-exposure treatment step.

As mentioned above, in this embodiment, the control part 10 controls the edge exposure process part EE1, and the post-exposure bake plate part which is a direction of a board | substrate in the heat processing part HP1 which is a pre-exposure bake part, and a post-exposure bake ( The direction of the substrate is adjusted to the edge exposure processing unit EE1 such that the relative angle formed by the direction of the substrate in PEB is 0 ° or 180 °.

7 is a plan view schematically showing the outline of the post-exposure bake plate section PEB. By the same diagram, if the above is further described, half of the post-exposure bake plate section PEB, which is the post-inlet side end WE of the substrate W in the heat treatment section HP1 which is the pre-exposure bake section, is the post-exposure bake section. The control part 10 rotates the board | substrate W to the edge exposure process part EE1 so that it may be located in inlet side IP or inner side OP (in the case of FIG. 7, the inlet side in heat processing part HP1). The end WE is positioned inside OP in the post-exposure bake plate part PEB). In addition, the carry-out side IP in the post-exposure bake plate part PEB is the side closest to the carry-in port 60 provided in the post-exposure bake plate part PEB for the conveyance robot TR1 to access, and is inside (OP) is the farthest side from the delivery opening 60. The inlet side and the inside of the heat treatment unit HP1 have the same definition. In addition, the carry-in side edge part WE of the board | substrate W in the heat processing part MP1 is an edge part of the board | substrate W located in the carry-in side closest to the carry-in port of the heat processing part HP1.

By the way, whether the relative angle is set to 0 degrees or 180 degrees is determined by the type of resist and the target film thickness of the resist.

As is well known, there are two types of resists: a positive resist in which the exposed portion is dissolved by a developer and a negative resist in which the exposed portion remains after development. Moreover, the target film thickness of the resist apply | coated to a board | substrate in coating process part SC1, SC2 differs according to the characteristic calculated | required by the final product, such as a semiconductor chip. The type of resist and the target film thickness of the resist are input to the controller 10 in advance, and the controller 10 refers to the information to adjust the relative angles according to the type of resist and the target film thickness of the resist. It determines whether it sets to 0 degrees or 180 degrees, and adjusts the direction of a board | substrate to the edge exposure process part EE1. The determination of the relative angle based on the type of resist and the target film thickness of the resist is specifically performed as follows.

<2-1. First pattern>

3 is a diagram showing a correlation between the resist film thickness and the resist line width after development. As shown in the figure, the correlation between the film thickness of the resist and the resist line width after development can be classified into two patterns based on the film thickness TH when focusing on the film thickness near the film thickness TH. . That is, when the film thickness of the resist coated on the substrate is thicker than the film thickness TH, the positive characteristic that the resist line width becomes thicker as the resist film thickness is thicker is recognized, and when the film thickness is thinner than the film thickness TH, the resist is recognized. The negative characteristic that the resist line width becomes thinner as film thickness becomes thick is recognized. The correlation between the film thickness of the resist and the resist line width is the same regardless of the type of resist.

Here, first, the case where the target film thickness of a resist is A thicker than the film thickness TH as a 1st pattern, and the kind of resist is a negative resist is demonstrated.

As described above, in the heat treatment part HP1 and the post-exposure bake plate part PEB, the side of the inlet side that the transport robot TR1 accesses is more likely to be exposed to the outside air than the inside, and in the pre-baking and post-exposure bake, A temperature gradient occurs that the temperature of the substrate on the inlet side becomes slightly lower than the inside temperature. As a result, in either of the heat treatment part HP1 and the post-exposure bake plate part PEB, the same temperature gradient occurs that the temperature becomes high from the inlet side toward the inside.

The prebaking is performed to evaporate the extra solvent component in the resist applied by the coating treatment unit SC1 and to secure the adhesion between the resist and the substrate. However, when a temperature gradient occurs on the substrate, the degree of solvent component evaporation is increased. Difference occurs and the degree of evaporation of the solvent component becomes larger on the inner side where the temperature is higher than on the inlet side. As a result, the resist film thickness on the inlet side with less evaporation of the solvent component becomes thicker than the inner resist film thickness.

In the case where the target film thickness of the resist is the film thickness A, as shown in Fig. 3, in the vicinity of the film thickness A, as the resist film thickness becomes thicker, the resist line width becomes thicker, so that the line width on the inlet side with a thicker resist film thickness becomes larger. It becomes thicker than the inner resist line width. As a result, when the target film thickness of the resist is the film thickness A, the temperature dependence on the resist line width in the prebaking in the heat treatment unit HP1 is a characteristic that the temperature of the resist becomes thin and therefore the line width of the resist becomes thin. The resist line width on the carry-in side becomes larger than the inner resist line width.

On the other hand, in the post-exposure bake in the post-exposure bake plate section PEB, when a temperature gradient occurs in the substrate, a difference occurs in the activity of an acid, which is a product by photochemical reaction at the time of exposure. In other words, the higher the temperature, the greater the acid activity, so that the inner side with the higher temperature has a greater acid activity than the carry-in side.

When the type of resist is negative resist, when the acid activity is increased, the degree of curing of the resist in the exposed portion is increased, and as a result, the resist line width is thick. Therefore, the inner resist line width having greater acid activity becomes thicker than the resist line width on the inlet side. As a result, when the type of resist is negative resist, the temperature dependence of the resist line width on the post-exposure bake in the post-exposure bake plate section PEB is a characteristic that the temperature of the resist becomes high, so that the resist line width is high, and the temperature is low. The resist line width on the carry-in side becomes thinner than the inner resist line width.

As described above, in both of the heat treatment part HP1 and the post-exposure bake plate part PEB, the same temperature gradient occurs that the temperature becomes high from the inlet side toward the inside. In the first pattern, the temperature dependence on the resist line width in the pre-baking and the temperature dependency on the resist line width in the post-exposure bake become inverse characteristics, so that the direction of the substrate in the heat treatment unit HP1 and the post-exposure bake plate portion If the direction of the substrate in the PEB is the same, the effect of the temperature gradient generated on the substrate in the prebaking on the line width and the effect of the temperature gradient generated on the substrate on the post exposure bake on the linewidth are canceled, resulting in the final resist line width. Uniformity is improved.

Therefore, in the first pattern, when the direction of the substrate is adjusted so that the relative angle between the direction of the substrate in the heat treatment portion HP1 and the direction of the substrate in the post-exposure bake plate portion PEB is 0 °, the development process is performed. The resist linewidth uniformity of the subsequent can be improved. On the contrary, if the orientation of the substrate is adjusted so that the relative angle is 180 °, the effect of the temperature gradient generated on the substrate in the prebaking on the line width and the effect of the temperature gradient generated on the substrate in the post-exposure bake on the linewidth This addition is performed, and the resist line width uniformity after the development treatment is significantly degraded.

<2-2. 2nd pattern>

Next, the case where the target film thickness of the resist is A thicker than the film thickness TH as the second pattern, and the type of the resist is a positive resist will be described.

Similarly to the first pattern, since the target film thickness of the resist is the film thickness A, the temperature dependence on the resist line width in the prebaking in the heat treatment unit HP1 is a characteristic that the line width of the resist becomes thinner accordingly. The resist line width on the inlet side where the temperature is lower becomes thicker than the inner resist line width.

On the other hand, in the post-exposure bake in the post-exposure bake plate section (PEB), if a temperature gradient occurs in the substrate, a difference occurs in the activity of the acid, which is a product of the photochemical reaction during exposure, and the higher the temperature, the higher the acid activity. The higher inner side has a higher acid activity than the carry-in side, as in the first pattern.

In the second pattern, since the type of resist is a positive resist, when the acid activity is increased, the extent to which the exposed portion is melted by the developer is increased, and as a result, the resist line width becomes thinner. Therefore, the inward side of the resist line width having greater acid activity becomes thinner than the resist line width. As a result, when the type of resist is a positive resist, the temperature dependence on the resist line width in the post-exposure bake in the post-exposure bake plate section PEB is such that the temperature becomes high, so that the resist line width becomes thin. The resist line width on the carry-in side becomes thicker than the inner resist line width.

In both the heat treatment portion HP1 and the post-exposure bake plate portion PEB, the same temperature gradient occurs that the temperature becomes high from the inlet side toward the inside. In the second pattern, the temperature dependency on the resist line width in the pre-baking and the temperature dependency on the resist line width in the post-exposure bake become the same characteristics, so that the direction of the substrate and the post-exposure bake plate portion in the heat treatment unit HP1 are the same. Inverting the direction of the substrate in the PEB cancels the effect of the temperature gradient on the line width in the prebaking on the line width and the effect on the line width of the temperature gradient on the substrate in the post-exposure bake. Sex improves.

Therefore, in the second pattern, when the direction of the substrate is adjusted so that the relative angle between the direction of the substrate in the heat treatment portion HP1 and the direction of the substrate in the post-exposure bake plate portion PEB is 180 °, the development treatment is performed. The resist linewidth uniformity of the subsequent can be improved. On the contrary, when the orientation of the substrate is adjusted so that the relative angle is 0 °, the influence of the temperature gradient generated on the substrate in the prebaking on the line width and the influence of the temperature gradient generated on the substrate on the post exposure bake on the line width are added. The resist line width uniformity after development is significantly degraded.

<2-3. 3rd pattern>

Next, the case where the target film thickness of the resist is B thinner than the film thickness TH as the third pattern, and the type of the resist is a negative resist will be described.

When the temperature gradient occurs on the substrate, there is a difference in the degree of evaporation of the solvent component, and the inner side where the temperature is higher has a greater degree of evaporation of the solvent component than the inlet side, and the resist on the inlet side with less evaporation of the solvent component The film thickness becomes thicker than the inner resist film thickness in the same manner as the first pattern.

In the case where the target film thickness of the resist is the film thickness B, as shown in Fig. 3, in the vicinity of the film thickness B, the resist line width becomes thinner as the resist film thickness becomes thick, so that the resist line width on the inlet side with a thick resist film thickness Becomes narrower than the inner resist line width. As a result, when the target film thickness of the resist is the film thickness B, the temperature dependence on the resist line width in the prebaking in the heat treatment unit HP1 is a characteristic that the temperature of the resist becomes high, so that the resist line width becomes thick, and the temperature is low. The resist line width on the inlet side becomes thinner than the inner resist line width.

On the other hand, in the post-exposure bake in the post-exposure bake plate part PEB, similarly to the first pattern, since the type of resist is a negative resist, the temperature dependence on the resist line width becomes high, so that the resist line width becomes thick. In this case, the resist line width on the inlet side where the temperature is lower becomes thinner than the inner resist line width.

Therefore, in the third pattern, the temperature dependency on the resist line width in the pre-baking and the temperature dependency on the resist line width in the post-exposure bake become the same characteristics, so that the direction of the substrate in the heat treatment part HP1 and the post-exposure bake plate portion Inverting the direction of the substrate in the PEB cancels the influence of the temperature gradient generated on the substrate in the prebaking on the line width and the effect of the temperature gradient generated on the substrate on the post-exposure bake on the linewidth, resulting in a uniform resist line width. Sex improves.

Therefore, in the 3rd pattern, if the direction of a board | substrate is adjusted so that the relative angle which the direction of the board | substrate in heat processing part HP1 and the direction of the said board | substrate in post-exposure bake plate part PEB makes is 180 degrees, it will develop. The resist line width uniformity after the treatment can be improved. On the contrary, when the orientation of the substrate is adjusted so that the relative angle is 0 °, the influence of the temperature gradient generated on the substrate in the prebaking on the line width and the influence of the temperature gradient generated on the substrate on the post exposure bake on the line width are added. In addition, the resist line width uniformity after development is significantly degraded.

<2-4. 4th pattern>

Next, as a fourth pattern, the case where the target film thickness of the resist is B thinner than the film thickness TH and the type of the resist is a positive resist will be described.

Similarly to the third pattern, since the target film thickness of the resist is the film thickness B, the temperature dependence on the resist line width in the prebaking in the heat treatment unit HP1 is a characteristic that the temperature of the resist becomes high and therefore the resist line width becomes thick. The resist line width on the inlet side having a lower thickness becomes thinner than the resist line width on the inside.

On the other hand, in the post-exposure bake in the post-exposure bake plate section PEB, similar to the second pattern, since the type of the resist is a positive resist, the temperature dependence on the resist line width becomes high, so that the resist line width becomes thinner. The resist line width on the inlet side where the temperature is lower becomes thicker than the inner resist line width.

Therefore, in the fourth pattern, the temperature dependence on the resist line width in the pre-baking and the temperature dependency on the resist line width in the post-exposure bake become reverse characteristics, so that the direction of the substrate in the heat treatment unit HP1 and the post-exposure bake plate portion If the direction of the substrate in the PEB is the same, the effect of the temperature gradient generated on the substrate in the prebaking on the line width and the effect of the temperature gradient generated on the substrate on the post exposure bake on the linewidth are canceled, resulting in the final resist line width. Uniformity is improved.

Therefore, in the fourth pattern, the direction of the substrate is adjusted so that the relative angle formed between the direction of the substrate in the heat treatment portion HP1 and the direction of the substrate in the post-exposure bake plate portion PEB is 0 °. The resist line width uniformity after the treatment can be improved. On the contrary, when the orientation of the substrate is adjusted so that the relative angle is 180 °, the influence of the temperature gradient generated on the substrate in the prebaking on the line width and the influence of the temperature gradient generated on the substrate on the post exposure bake on the line width are added. In addition, the resist line width uniformity after development is significantly degraded.

<2-5. Overall>

As described above, the target film thickness of the resist affects the temperature dependence on the resist line width in the prebaking in the heat treatment unit HP1. Table 2 below summarizes the contents.

Entrance side Position in heat treatment part inside Line width low Temperature high thick Thickness thin thick Resist line width (target film thickness A) Thin t Thin Resist line width (target film thickness B) thick t

As a temperature gradient occurs in the substrate in the prebaking in the heat treatment unit HP1, a line width difference t is generated between the resist line width on the inlet side and the resist line width on the inner side.

On the other hand, the type of resist affects the temperature dependency on the resist line width in the post-exposure bake in the post-exposure bake plate section PEB. Table 3 below summarizes the contents.

Entrance side Position inside the bake plate after exposure inside Line width low Temperature high small Acid activity Big thick Resist Line Width (Positive) Thin T Thin Resist Line Width (Negative) thick T

As a result of the temperature gradient occurring in the substrate in the post-exposure bake in the post-exposure bake plate section PEB, a line width T is generated between the resist line width on the inlet side and the resist line width inside. In addition, since temperature dependence in a post-exposure bake is larger than temperature dependence in a prebak, it becomes T> t.

In this manner, there are four patterns of combinations of conditions depending on whether the target film thickness of the resist is thicker or thinner than the film thickness TH and the type of the resist is a positive resist or a negative resist, and for each pattern, a pre-baking is performed on the substrate. The effect of the temperature gradient on the line width and the effect of the temperature gradient on the substrate on the post-exposure bake are to be offset.

4 is a diagram showing line width uniformity when the type of resist is negative resist. The horizontal axis of the figure shows the position of the substrate in the post-exposure bake plate section PEB.

When the type of resist is a negative resist, when the target film thickness of the resist is A thicker than the film thickness TH (first pattern), the direction of the substrate in the heat treatment portion HP1 and the post-exposure bake plate portion ( When the direction of the substrate is adjusted so that the relative angle formed by the direction of the substrate in PEB) becomes 0 °, the influence of the temperature gradient on the line width is canceled, and the line width difference becomes Tt (solid line in FIG. 4). On the contrary, when the direction of the substrate is adjusted so that the relative angle is 180 °, the influence of the temperature gradient on the line width is added, and the line width difference becomes T + t (dashed line in FIG. 4).

In the case where the type of resist is a negative resist, when the thickness of the resist is B thinner than the target film thickness TH (third pattern), the direction of the substrate in the heat treatment portion HP1 and the post-exposure bake plate portion When the direction of the substrate is adjusted so that the relative angle formed by the direction of the substrate in the PEB becomes 180 °, the influence of the temperature gradient on the line width is canceled, and the line width difference becomes Tt (solid line in FIG. 4). On the contrary, when the direction of the substrate is adjusted so that the relative angle becomes 0 °, the influence of the temperature gradient on the line width is added, and the line width difference becomes T + t (dashed line in FIG. 4).

5 is a diagram showing line width uniformity when the type of resist is a positive resist. 4, the position of the board | substrate in post-exposure bake plate part PEB is shown by the horizontal axis of FIG.

When the type of resist is a positive resist, when the target film thickness of the resist is A thicker than the film thickness TH (second pattern), the direction of the substrate in the heat treatment portion HP1 and the post-exposure bake plate portion ( When the direction of the substrate is adjusted so that the relative angle formed by the direction of the substrate in PEB) becomes 180 °, the influence of the temperature gradient on the line width is canceled, and the line width difference becomes Tt (solid line in FIG. 5). On the contrary, when the direction of the substrate is adjusted so that the relative angle becomes 0 °, the influence of the temperature gradient on the line width is added, and the line width difference becomes T + t (dashed line in FIG. 5).

In the case where the type of resist is a positive resist, when the target film thickness of the resist is B thinner than the film thickness TH (fourth pattern), the direction of the substrate in the heat treatment part HP1 and the post-exposure bake plate When the direction of the substrate is adjusted so that the relative angle formed by the direction of the substrate in the part PEB is 0 °, the influence of the temperature gradient on the line width is canceled, and the line width difference becomes Tt (solid line in FIG. 5). On the contrary, when the direction of the substrate is adjusted so that the relative angle is 180 °, the influence of the temperature gradient on the line width is added, and the line width difference becomes T + t (dashed line in FIG. 5).

<3. Variation>

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to said example. For example, in the said embodiment, although the edge exposure process part EE1 is made to adjust the direction of a board | substrate, it is not limited to this, Dedicated angle adjustment provided with the drive part which rotates a board | substrate, and the mechanism which detects the rotation angle of a board | substrate. You may provide a board | substrate rotation process part. In addition, when the exposed substrate is guided from the interface IF to the transport robot TR1, the substrate to the transport robot TR1 is exchanged by changing the position of the water supply robot installed in the interface IF in the Y direction. You may change an angle and adjust the direction of a board | substrate. In other words, after exposing, it is provided in any one of the process steps of the substrate processing to the post-exposure bake plate part PEB, and the said board | substrate in the direction of the board | substrate in the heat processing part HP1, and the post-exposure bake plate part PEB. Any means may be used as long as the relative angle formed by the direction of X is set to 0 ° or 180 °.

In addition, in the above embodiment, according to the kind of resist and the target film thickness of the resist, the direction of the substrate in the heat treatment portion HP1 which is the pre-exposure bake portion and the post-exposure bake plate portion PEB which is the post-exposure bake portion. The direction of the substrate is adjusted so that the relative angle formed by the direction of the substrate is 0 ° or 180 ° so that the temperature gradient generated on the substrate in the pre-exposure heat treatment affects the line width and the temperature gradient generated on the substrate in the post-exposure heat treatment. Although the example which canceled the influence which the line width has shown was shown, this invention is not limited to this, The effect which the temperature gradient which generate | occur | produced in the pre-exposure heat processing on the line width and the temperature which generate | occur | produced in the board | substrate in the post-exposure heat processing as needed is shown. Any desired relative angle that can offset the effect of the gradient on the line width (ie The orientation of the substrate in the heat treatment portion HP1 as the pre-exposure bake portion and the orientation of the substrate in the post-exposure bake plate portion PEB as the post-exposure bake portion.

As described above, according to the invention of any one of claims 1 to 6, the effect of the temperature gradient generated on the substrate in the pre-exposure heat treatment on the line width and the effect of the temperature gradient generated on the substrate in the post-exposure heat treatment on the line width Since the relative angle formed between the direction of the substrate in the pre-exposure bake portion and the direction of the substrate in the post-exposure bake portion is adjusted by the substrate rotating means, the line width uniformity of the resist film in the substrate after the development treatment is improved. can do.

According to the invention of claim 7, according to the type of resist applied to the substrate and the thickness of the resist film, the end portion of the inlet side of the substrate in the pre-exposure bake portion is positioned at the inlet side or inside of the post-exposure bake portion. Since the substrate is rotated, the influence of the temperature gradient generated on the substrate in the pre-exposure heat treatment on the line width and the influence of the temperature gradient generated on the substrate in the post-exposure heat treatment on the line width are offset. The same effect can be obtained.

Claims (7)

A substrate processing apparatus which performs a pre-exposure heat treatment and a post-exposure heat treatment after applying a resist to a substrate surface. A pre-exposure bake portion to be heat-treated before exposing the substrate to which the resist is applied; A post-exposure bake portion to be heat-treated before developing the substrate after exposure; Substrate rotation means for rotating the substrate after the exposure is provided in a substrate processing sequence up to the post-exposure bake portion; The pre-exposure bake portion is controlled by controlling the substrate rotation means so that the influence of the temperature gradient generated on the substrate in the pre-exposure heat treatment on the line width and the influence of the temperature gradient generated on the substrate in the post-exposure heat treatment on the line width are offset. And rotation control means for adjusting a relative angle between the direction of the substrate and the direction of the substrate in the post-exposure bake portion. The method of claim 1, And the rotation control means adjusts the relative angle in accordance with the type of resist applied to the substrate and the thickness of the resist film. The method of claim 2, In the case where the resist to be applied to the substrate is a negative resist, and the film thickness of the resist applied to the substrate is larger, the thickness of the resist becomes thicker, And the rotation control means controls the substrate rotation means such that the relative angle is 0 degrees. The method of claim 2, When the resist applied to the substrate is a positive resist, and the film thickness of the resist applied to the substrate is higher, the line width becomes thicker as the resist film thickness becomes larger. And the rotation control means controls the substrate rotation means such that the relative angle is 180 degrees. The method of claim 2, When the resist to be applied to the substrate is a negative resist, and the film thickness of the resist applied to the substrate is thinner, the line width becomes thinner as the resist film thickness becomes larger. And the rotation control means controls the substrate rotation means such that the relative angle is 180 degrees. The method of claim 2, If the resist applied to the substrate is a positive resist, and the film thickness of the resist applied to the substrate becomes thinner, the line width becomes thinner, And the rotation control means controls the substrate rotation means such that the relative angle becomes 0 °. A substrate processing apparatus which performs a pre-exposure heat treatment and a post-exposure heat treatment after applying a resist to a substrate surface. A pre-exposure bake portion to be heat-treated before exposing the substrate to which the resist is applied; A post-exposure bake portion to be heat-treated before developing the substrate after exposure; Substrate rotation means for rotating the substrate after the exposure is provided in a substrate processing sequence up to the post-exposure bake portion; The substrate rotating means is controlled such that the end portion of the inlet side of the substrate in the pre-exposure bake portion is located at the inlet side or the inside of the post-exposure bake portion in accordance with the type of resist applied to the substrate and the film thickness of the resist. And rotation control means for rotating the substrate.