KR100686762B1 - Substrate processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

In the substrate processing system which consists of a gas processing apparatus, a measuring apparatus, and a conveying apparatus, the measuring apparatus which performs the measurement with respect to the processed board | substrate contains a mounting part, an optical measuring part, and a measurement chamber. The substrate conveyance port for conveying a board | substrate to a mounting part is opened in the measurement chamber, and the measurement chamber is interrupted | blocked with the space with an optical measurement part by the wall surface which defines the said measurement chamber. In addition, the measurement chamber is provided with an air supply unit for supplying clean air toward the substrate transport port, and clean air is supplied toward the transport port side when the wafer is brought into the measurement chamber and the measurement is performed. Therefore, the processing gas flowing into the measuring chamber from the substrate transport port is diluted or pressed back to suppress contamination in the measuring apparatus by the processing gas.

Description

Substrate Processing System {SUBSTRATE PROCESSING SYSTEM}

1 is a plan view showing an outline of a substrate processing system according to the present embodiment;

2 is an explanatory view of a longitudinal section showing an outline of a configuration of a measuring apparatus;

3 is a perspective view showing a measurement block;

4 is an explanatory view of a longitudinal section showing a configuration of a measurement block of a measuring device;

5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in the measuring apparatus when no measurement is performed;

6 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in the measuring apparatus when the measurement is being performed;

7 is an explanatory view of a longitudinal section showing a reference chip and a mounting plate with a protective shutter;

8 is an explanatory view of a longitudinal section showing a configuration in a measurement block when a protective window for transmission window is attached to a transmission window;

9 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a measuring device in the case where a rectifying plate is attached to a conveyance port.

Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

One… Substrate processing system

3... Etching equipment

4… Measuring device

5... Measuring Block

10... Return room

30... housing

33... Return port

42... Payload

45... Optical system

50... Air supply

60... Air vent

70... Return Shutter

S… Measuring room

W… wafer

REFERENCE 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-280279

The present invention relates to a substrate processing system having a gas processing device and a measuring device.

For example, the etching process in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device is normally performed by the etching apparatus, and this etching apparatus is mounted in the substrate processing system. The substrate processing system is usually provided with a loader unloader part for carrying in and out of a wafer, and a conveying apparatus for conveying a wafer from the loader unloader part to an etching apparatus. When the unprocessed wafer was carried into the loader unloader, the wafer was conveyed to the etching apparatus by the conveying apparatus and etched, and then the wafer was returned to the loader unloading portion by the conveying apparatus.

By the way, it is necessary to examine the dimension, film thickness, etching depth, etc. of the pattern of the to-be-etched film after the said etching process is complete | finished. Conventionally, these inspections are often performed using the measuring apparatus which has an optical system, and this measuring apparatus was provided separately from the substrate processing system. For this reason, it is necessary to take out the wafer from which the etching process was complete | finished from the substrate processing system, and to convey to the various measuring apparatuses, and the long time was required for the conveyance for this test | inspection. For this reason, in recent years, in order to shorten the conveyance time of the wafer W and improve the productivity of the wafer, it is proposed to mount a measuring device in the substrate processing system (see, for example, Reference 1).

However, in the etching process performed in the substrate processing system, for example, a corrosive gas such as HCl and HBr is used as the processing gas. When the measuring device is mounted on the substrate processing system, the corrosive gas may flow from the etching apparatus into the measuring apparatus. Moreover, in the etching apparatus, when the wafer which completed the etching process is carried in to a measuring apparatus, it may come in with corrosive gas. For this reason, the optical system of the measuring apparatus corroded with corrosive gas, and the measuring precision of the measuring apparatus was falling. Moreover, the lifetime of the components which comprise an optical system was short. In addition, the inside of the measuring apparatus is contaminated due to corrosion of the optical system, and the wafer carried into the measuring apparatus is contaminated, resulting in an increase in defective products. In order to solve this problem, for example, it is also considered to replace all the parts of the optical system of the measuring device with a corrosion resistant specification, but in such a case, a huge cost is required, which is not practical.

This invention is made | formed in view of such a point, Comprising: It aims at providing the board | substrate processing system which can prevent the corrosion and contamination with respect to the optical measuring part of the measuring apparatus by the process gas used by gas processing apparatuses, such as an etching apparatus. It is done.

MEANS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM In order to achieve the said objective, this invention is a processing system of a board | substrate, The gas processing apparatus which processes a board | substrate using a processing gas, the measuring apparatus which measures the board | substrate processed by the said gas processing apparatus, and the said gas processing Having a conveying device which conveys the board | substrate processed by the apparatus to the said measuring apparatus integrally, The said measuring apparatus irradiates light to the board | substrate which mounts a board | substrate, and the board | substrate mounted in this mounting part, and measures a board | substrate And a measuring chamber accommodating the mounting portion and measuring the substrate on the mounting portion, wherein the substrate conveying port for conveying the substrate to the mounting portion is opened by the conveying apparatus. Arbitrary space in the optical measuring section and the measuring room is characterized in that the ventilation is blocked by the wall that defines the measuring room. Gong.

According to the present invention, since the measurement chamber and the optical measuring unit in which the measurement on the substrate is performed are blocked by the wall of the measuring chamber, the gas flowing into the measuring chamber from the substrate conveyance port is in contact with the optical measuring unit. none. Therefore, even if the corrosive gas contained in a process gas flows in into a measuring apparatus from a gas processing apparatus, for example, or it is brought in in a measuring apparatus by a board | substrate, an optical measuring part does not corrode. As a result, the measurement precision with respect to the board | substrate by an optical measuring part is maintained and the measurement with respect to a board | substrate can be performed suitably. Moreover, the lifetime of an optical measuring part can be lengthened. In addition, since the optical measuring unit is not corroded and contaminated in the measuring apparatus, the substrate carried in the measuring apparatus is not contaminated. As a result, the defective substrate can be reduced.

The exposed surface in the measurement chamber may be subjected to corrosion treatment for the processing gas. In this case, since the inside of the measurement chamber can be prevented from being corroded by the processing gas, the contamination of the inside of the measurement chamber or the substrate due to corrosion can be prevented.

The measuring chamber may be formed so as to accommodate only the mounting portion. In this case, the volume of the measurement chamber can be kept to a minimum, so that corrosion and contamination in the measurement chamber by the processing gas can be suppressed to the minimum. In addition, in the case where corrosion resistance processing is performed in such a measurement chamber, the area can be minimized, thereby reducing the cost required for corrosion resistance processing. Moreover, the said measurement chamber may be formed in the rectangular parallelepiped shape which makes the said board | substrate conveyance port one side.

The measuring device further has a housing and a measuring block provided in the housing for forming the measuring chamber, wherein the measuring block is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the measuring chamber is formed in a concave shape on the side wall of the measuring block. good.

The optical measuring unit may be provided in a hollow portion between the inner wall surface defining the measurement chamber and the outer wall surface defining the outer shape of the measuring block as the measuring block.

The transmission part through which the light irradiated from the said optical measuring part permeate | transmit may be formed in the wall surface of the said measurement chamber which interrupts | blocks with the said optical measuring part. Moreover, the permeation | transmission part protection shutter may be provided in the said permeation part for protecting the permeation part from the said process gas. In such a case, for example, when the measurement is not performed by the optical measuring unit, the transmission protective shutter can be closed to close the transmission unit with respect to the measurement chamber, so that corrosion or contamination of the transmission unit by the processing gas in the measurement chamber can be suppressed. Can be. As a result, since the light from the optical measuring unit properly passes through the transmitting unit, the measurement accuracy by the optical measuring unit is maintained.

An air supply port for supplying clean gas toward the substrate transport port may be formed on the side wall surface of the measurement chamber at a position opposite to the substrate transport port. In this case, since clean gas is supplied from the side wall surface of the measurement chamber toward the substrate transport port, the gas flowing from the substrate transport port into the measurement chamber can be diluted or returned by the clean gas flow. As a result, corrosion and contamination in the measurement chamber by the processing gas can be further suppressed.

The measurement chamber may be provided with an exhaust port for exhausting the clean gas supplied from the air supply port from the vicinity of the substrate transport port downstream from the mounting portion. In this case, since the clean gas supplied from the air supply port can be passed through the measurement chamber and exhausted, for example, the measurement chamber can be cleaned.

The exhaust port may be formed at the bottom of the measurement chamber. In this case, it is possible to effectively exhaust the corrosive gas that accumulates on the bottom of the measurement chamber relatively heavier than air.

The substrate processing system includes a shutter for opening and closing the substrate conveyance port, and supplying air from the air supply port when the shutter is opened, stopping exhausting from the air exhaust port, and closing the shutter from the air supply port when the shutter is closed. It may further have a control device for supplying the air supply and exhausting from the exhaust port. In such a case, it is possible to supply air when the shutter is opened and to suppress the inflow of the processing gas into the measurement chamber. In addition, when the shutter is closed, air supply and exhaust can be performed to clean the inside of the measurement chamber and maintain the clean state.

The substrate processing system includes an air inlet for introducing air outside the measuring device, an air supply duct passing through the air supply port from the air introduction port, and a filter for removing impurities from air passing through the air supply duct. You may have more.

Downflow is formed outside the substrate inlet / outlet, and the air supply flow rate from the air supply port may be set to be smaller than the flow rate of the downflow. In this case, according to the inventor's verification, airflow is disturbed in the confluence part of the said clean gas flow and downflow in the said measurement chamber, and dust and the like are not wound up. As a result, the board | substrate conveyed with respect to a board | substrate delivery opening does not become polluted by the dust wound up.

The board | substrate conveyance port may be provided with the rectifying plate which rectifies the airflow in the confluence part of the said clean gas flow in the said measurement chamber, and the said downflow. Even in this case, since the dust of the vicinity of a board | substrate conveyance opening can be prevented, the board | substrate conveyed with respect to a board | substrate carrying opening does not become dirty by dust.

In the measurement chamber, a reference member to which light is irradiated from the optical measuring unit may be provided to calibrate the measurement by the optical measuring unit, and the reference member may be provided with a protective shutter for protecting the reference member from the processing gas. . In such a case, since the protective shutter is closed and the reference member can be closed with respect to the measurement chamber except at the time of use, corrosion and contamination of the reference member by the processing gas can be suppressed.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described. 1 is a plan view schematically illustrating the configuration of a substrate processing system 1 according to the present embodiment.

The substrate processing system 1 includes, for example, a cassette mounting portion 2 on which a plurality of cassettes C in which a wafer W is housed, an etching apparatus 3 as a gas processing apparatus for etching a wafer W, and an etching process. Measuring apparatus 4 for measuring the film thickness of the etching target film on the wafer W, alignment portion 5 for performing alignment of wafer W, these cassette mounting portions 2, etching apparatus 3, measuring apparatus 4 ) And the conveying apparatus 6 which conveys the wafer W between the alignment part 5 and the alignment part 5 is integrally connected.

The conveying apparatus 6 connects the conveyance chamber 10 with which the cassette mounting part 2, the measuring apparatus 4, and the alignment part 5 were connected, and this conveyance chamber 10 and the etching apparatus 3, for example. The load lock chamber 11 is provided. The cassette mounting part 2 and the measuring apparatus 4 are arranged in the X direction negative direction (downward direction in FIG. 1) side of the conveyance chamber 10, for example. The alignment part 5 is provided in the Y direction positive direction (left direction in FIG. 1) side of the conveyance chamber 10, for example. The load lock chamber 11 is provided in the position which opposes the cassette mounting part 2 of the conveyance chamber 10, for example.

In the conveyance chamber 10, the conveyance mechanism 20 which conveys the wafer W is provided, for example. The conveyance mechanism 20 is provided with the conveyance arm 20a which hold | maintains the wafer W, for example, and moves the conveyance arm 20a forward and backward, for example, the cassette mounting part 2, the measuring apparatus 4, and a rod. The wafer W can be conveyed with respect to the lock chamber 11. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the air supply unit U which supplies the clean gas adjusted to predetermined | prescribed temperature and humidity downward is provided in the upper part of the conveyance chamber 10, and this conveyance chamber U is provided by this air supply unit U. Downflow can be formed in (10) to maintain the inside of the transfer chamber 10 in a predetermined clean atmosphere. 1, the conveyance mechanism 21 which transfers the wafer W between the load lock chamber 11 and the etching apparatus 3 is provided in the load lock chamber 11, for example.

The etching apparatus 3 introduces, for example, a processing gas such as HCl or HBr into the chamber, and simultaneously applies high frequency power between the lower electrode on which the wafer W is mounted and the upper electrode opposite thereto. The plasma can be generated to etch the etching target film on the wafer surface.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the measuring device 4 has a housing body 30 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the housing body 30 is in close contact with the transfer chamber 10. The housing body 30 is divided into, for example, an upper measuring unit 31 and a lower control unit 32. At a contact portion between the measurement unit 31 and the transfer chamber 10, a substantially rectangular transfer port 33 for transferring the wafer W is formed. For example, the control part 32 accommodates the apparatus of the control system required for the measurement in the measuring part 31. As shown in FIG.

The measuring part 31 is provided with the measuring block 40 which forms the measuring chamber S of the wafer W. As shown in FIG. The measuring block 40 is formed in the substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, for example as shown in FIG. The outer wall surface 41 on the side of the transfer chamber 10 of the measurement block 40 is formed with a recess serving as the measurement chamber S. As shown in FIG. The measurement chamber S is formed in the substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape which makes the conveyance port 33 one side. That is, in the measuring block 40, a hole having a rectangular parallelepiped bottom is formed in the horizontal direction from the outer wall surface 41, the hole having the bottom is the measuring chamber S, and the opening is the conveying port 33. .

In the measurement chamber S, for example, a top trial 42 is provided as a disk-shaped mounting portion on which the wafer W is mounted. As shown in FIG. 4, the measurement block 40 is hollow between the outer wall surface 41 which defines the external form, and the inner wall surface 43 which defines the measurement chamber S, for example. In the upper hollow portion 40a between the outer wall surface 41 of the measurement block 40 and the ceiling inner wall surface 43a of the measurement chamber S, an optical system 45 as an optical measurement portion provided with a light irradiation portion, a light receiving portion, or the like is provided. It is arranged. The ventilation between the optical system 45 and the measurement chamber S is interrupted by the inner wall surface 43 of the measurement chamber S, and for example, the processing gas flowing from the conveyance port 33 does not contact the optical system 45. The optical system 45 can measure the film thickness of the etching target film on the wafer W by, for example, irradiating light onto the wafer W on the mounting plate 42, receiving the reflected light, and measuring the reflectance.

The transmission window 46 as a transparent transmission part is formed in the position which opposes the optical system 45 of the ceiling inner wall surface 43a of the measurement chamber S. As shown in FIG. The optical system 45 can irradiate light to the wafer W on the mounting plate 42 through this transmission window 46 and receive the reflected light.

For example, a lower hollow portion 40b is formed between the bottom inner wall surface 43b of the measurement chamber S and the outer wall surface 41 of the measurement block 40 below it. In the lower hollow part 40b, the moving mechanism 47 which moves the mounting plate 42 in the direction (X direction) of the conveyance opening 33 is provided, for example. The moving mechanism 47 is provided with the rail 48 formed in the X direction, for example, and the stage 49 which is free to move on the said rail 48, and supports the mounting plate 42 from below. The stage 49 can move on the rail 48 by the drive part, such as a built-in motor, for example.

The air supply port 50 is formed in the inner wall surface 43c of the measurement chamber S at the position opposite to the conveyance port 33. The air supply port 50 is formed toward the conveyance port 33 side. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the air supply duct 52 is connected to the air supply port 50 passing through the air inlet 51 formed on the upper surface of the housing 30. The air supply duct 52 passes through the inside of the measuring block 40 from, for example, the air supply 50 and communicates with the air inlet 51 through the inside of the measuring unit 31 outside the measuring block 40. Doing. The air supply duct 52 is provided with a fan 53 for sucking air outside the housing 30 and a filter 54 for removing impurities such as dust from the air sucked into the air supply duct 52. The air introduced from the air inlet 51 by the fan 53 is changed into a clean gas by the filter 54, and then is supplied to the measuring chamber S from the air supply port 50. Air supplied into the measurement chamber S flows toward the conveyance port 33 side, and can flow out of the conveyance port 33 through the mounting plate 42. By supplying this air, the processing gas which flowed into the measurement chamber S from the conveyance port 33 can be diluted or returned, and the measurement chamber S can be maintained in a clean gas atmosphere.

For example, the rotation speed of the fan 53 is adjusted by the control apparatus 65, and the control apparatus 65 can control the air supply flow volume into the measurement chamber S by adjusting the rotation speed of the fan 53. FIG. .

The exhaust port 60 is formed in the bottom inner wall surface 43b which is the bottom of the measurement chamber S. As shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the exhaust port 60 is formed in two places near the conveyance port 33 downstream of the mounting plate 42 with respect to the air supply of the air supply port 50. As shown in FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 2, an exhaust duct 62 is connected to the exhaust port 60, which communicates with an exhaust port 61 formed on the side of the transport chamber 10 side of the housing 30. The exhaust duct 62 communicates with the discharge port 61 through the measurement block 40 and the control unit 32, for example. The exhaust port 60 is provided with, for example, an exhaust shutter 63 that slides in the horizontal direction. Opening and closing of the exhaust shutter 63 is performed by an exhaust shutter driving unit 64 provided with a cylinder or the like.

The housing 30 is provided with a shutter 70 that moves in the vertical direction to open and close the conveyance port 30. This conveyance shutter 70 is performed by the conveyance shutter drive part 71 provided with the cylinder etc., for example.

The operation of the exhaust shutter driver 64 and the transfer shutter driver 71 is controlled by the control device 65, for example. Therefore, the control apparatus 65 can open and close the exhaust shutter 63 and the conveyance shutter 70 at a predetermined timing.

The corrosion-resistant processing of a process gas is given to the exposed surface with respect to the process gas in the measurement chamber S, for example, the surface of the inner wall surface 43 and the mounting plate 42 of the measurement chamber S. As the corrosion-resistant processing, for example, a method for coating an Al ₂ O ₃ such as a metal oxide coating, such as, exposure of the surface of a thin film or a method of coating PTFE by sintering the fluorine-based resin such as (DuPont registered trademark) is used. Moreover, when coating fluorine-type resin, since it does not react at all with an acid and a base, excellent corrosion resistance is obtained.

Next, a description will be given of a wafer W processing process performed in the substrate processing system 1 configured as described above. During processing of the wafer W, for example, downflow by clean gas by the air supply unit U is formed in the transfer chamber 10. First, as shown in FIG. 1, when the cassette C in which the unprocessed wafer W is accommodated is mounted in the cassette mounting part 2, the wafer W is taken out from the cassette C by the conveyance mechanism 20 of the conveyance chamber 10, and alignment is performed. It is conveyed to the part 5. The wafer W positioned in the alignment unit 5 is conveyed to the load lock chamber 11 by the conveyance mechanism 20, and conveyed to the etching apparatus 3 by the conveyance mechanism 21. The wafer W conveyed to the etching apparatus 3 is etched by a predetermined process gas.

The wafer W after the etching process is conveyed to the load lock chamber 11 by the conveyance mechanism 21, and conveyed to the measuring apparatus 4 by the conveyance mechanism 20. In the measuring apparatus 4, the film thickness of the etching target film on the wafer W is measured, and the etching state of the wafer W is inspected. The wafer W after the inspection in the measuring device 4 is finished is returned to the cassette C of the cassette mounting part 2 by the transfer mechanism 20.

Here, the operation of the measuring device 4 described above will be described in more detail. During operation of the substrate processing system 1, the processing gas leaked from the etching apparatus 3 flows into the transfer chamber 10 through the load lock chamber 11, or the processing gas attached to the wafer W is transferred by the wafer W. Brought in.

First, in the measuring apparatus 4, when the measurement of the wafer W is not performed and the wafer W is not carried in, the conveyance shutter 70 closes, for example, as shown in FIG. In addition, the fan 53 is operated to supply clean air from the air supply port 50 into the measurement chamber S. In addition, the exhaust shutter 63 is opened, and the clean air passing through the measurement chamber S is exhausted from the exhaust port 60. Thus, when the measurement of the wafer W is not performed in the measuring apparatus 4, the airflow of the clean air which flows from the one end part in the closed measurement chamber S to the other end part is formed, and the measurement room S is maintained by the clean air atmosphere.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the wafer W is carried into the measuring apparatus 4 by the conveyance arm 20a of the conveyance mechanism 20, the conveyance shutter 70 opens. In the state where air supply from the air supply port 50 is maintained, the exhaust port 60 by the exhaust shutter 63 of the exhaust port 60 is closed. By doing in this way, the airflow of the clean air which flows in from the air supply port 50 and flows out from the conveyance port 33 is formed in the measurement chamber S. FIG. By this airflow, the processing gas which flows into the measurement chamber S from the conveyance chamber 10 side through the conveyance port 33 is diluted or returned.

In addition, the air supply flow volume from the air supply port 50 at this time is set so that it may become smaller than the flow volume of the downflow of the conveyance chamber 10 of the outer side of the conveyance port 33. FIG. By doing in this way, confluence of the airflow which flows out from the measurement chamber S and downflow is performed smoothly, and it can suppress that a vortex etc. generate | occur | produce around the conveyance port 33. FIG. As a result, impurities, such as dust in the conveyance chamber 10, are not wound up.

When the conveyance port 33 is opened by the conveyance shutter 70, the mounting plate 42 moves to the conveyance port 33 side (the X-direction forward direction side), for example, and the mounting plate ( The wafer W is received and mounted on 42). When the wafer W is mounted on the mounting plate 42, the mounting plate 42 moves to the negative direction in the X direction, and the wafer W moves to a predetermined measurement position below the optical system 45. Then, the optical system 45 irradiates light to the wafer W, receives the reflected light, and the film thickness of the etching target film on the wafer W is measured, for example. In the meantime, the airflow of the clean air which flows horizontally toward the conveyance port 33 side is formed in the measurement chamber S, For example, the process gas carried by the wafer W is returned to the conveyance port 33 side.

When the measurement by the optical system 45 is complete | finished, the wafer W is again received by the conveyance arm 20a, and is carried out from the measuring apparatus 4. After carrying out the wafer W, the conveyance shutter 70 is closed again, the exhaust shutter 63 of the exhaust port 60 is opened, and the exhaust port 60 is discharged from the air supply port 50 into the measurement chamber S while the measurement chamber S is closed. A stream of clean air is formed.

According to the above embodiment, since the measurement chamber S which opens in the conveyance port 33 is formed in the measurement apparatus 4, and the ventilation of the optical system 45 and the measurement chamber S was interrupted by the wall surface of the said measurement chamber S, the etching apparatus 3 The processing gas used in the above) does not come into contact with the optical system 45, and the optical system 45 is corroded by corrosive gas such as an acid gas contained in the processing gas, so that it is not contaminated. Therefore, even if it uses for a long time, the measurement precision of the optical system 45 does not fall, but the life of the optical system 45 can be lengthened. In addition, the optical system 45 is contaminated by the processing gas as in the prior art, and the wafer W in the measuring device 4 is not contaminated by the contamination.

Since the exposed surface in the measurement chamber S has been subjected to corrosion resistance, the measurement chamber S does not corrode by the corrosive gas flowing into the measurement chamber S. Therefore, contaminants due to corrosion accumulate in the measurement chamber S, and the wafer W is not contaminated.

Since the measuring block 40 was provided in the housing 30 of the measuring device 4, and the measuring block 40 formed the measuring chamber S which accommodates only the mounting plate 42, it conveys through the conveyance port 33. The part exposed to the thread 10 side can be suppressed to the minimum. Therefore, the area which performs corrosion-resistant processing can be made small, and the cost required for corrosion-resistant processing can be reduced significantly. In addition, since the processing gas does not contact parts other than the optical system 45 in the measuring device 4, corrosion and contamination can be reduced.

Since the optical system 45 is provided in the upper hollow part 40a of the measurement block 40, the optical system 45 does not contact not only the measurement chamber S but also the atmosphere outside the measurement block 40, and the optical system 45 Corrosion and contamination can be further reduced.

Since the transparent window 46 was provided in the ceiling inner wall surface 43a of the measurement chamber S, the measurement with respect to the wafer W by the optical system 45 can be performed suitably.

Since the air supply port 50 facing the conveyance port 33 side was provided in the inner wall surface 43c of the measurement chamber S at the position opposite to the conveyance port 33, the process which flows into the measurement chamber S from the conveyance chamber 10 side. The gas can be diluted or returned. Moreover, impurity substances, such as the corrosive gas brought in by the wafer W carried into the measurement chamber S, can be made to flow to the conveyance chamber 10 side. Thereby, contamination in the measurement chamber S by corrosive gas etc. can be suppressed.

Since the air inlet 51 is formed on the upper surface of the housing 30, and the fan 53 and the filter 54 are provided in the air supply duct 52 which connects the air inlet 51 and the air supply port 50, After the air outside the housing 30 is cleaned, it can be supplied into the measurement chamber S. In this case, since clean gas can be supplied to the measurement chamber S using the outside air around the housing 30, the cost required for clean gas can be reduced.

Since the exhaust port 60 was formed in the vicinity of the conveyance port 33 of the measurement chamber S, it is possible to exhaust the air supplied from the air supply port 50 after passing through the mounting plate 42. Therefore, when the measurement with respect to the wafer W is not performed, for example, the conveyance shutter 70 can be closed and the inside of the measurement chamber S can be cleaned. In addition, since the exhaust port 60 is formed in the bottom inner wall surface 43b of the measurement chamber S, it is possible to effectively exhaust corrosive gases such as HCl and HBr, which tend to accumulate on the bottom inner wall surface 43b more heavily than air. In addition, since the discharge port 61 passing through the exhaust port 60 is formed in the housing 30 on the side of the transport chamber 10 below the transport port 33, the gas that has passed through the measurement chamber S is transferred to the transport chamber 10. It can be joined to the downflow of and discharged to the outside of the substrate processing system 1 by the downflow. Therefore, the exhaust from the measurement chamber S can be appropriately discharged using the existing downflow.

In the above embodiment, when the measurement of the wafer W is not performed, the conveyance shutter 70 is closed by the control device 65, and the exhaust air from the air supply port 50 and the exhaust port 60 are continuously executed. At this time, for example, the control device 65 performs the air supply and exhaust for a predetermined time in the state where the conveyance shutter 70 is closed, and stops the air supply and exhaust after the inside of the measurement chamber S is corrected. You may do so. Even in this case, the inside of the measurement chamber S can be kept clean.

In addition, in the said Example, when the measurement of the wafer W is performed, the conveyance shutter 70 is opened by the control apparatus 65, the air supply from the air supply port 50 is performed, and the exhaust from the exhaust port 60 is stopped. At this time, the transfer shutter 70 may be closed by the control device 65 to perform both the air supply and the exhaust. In this case, after the wafer W is brought into the measurement chamber S, the measurement chamber S is closed, and supplying and exhausting of clean gas to the closed measurement chamber S is performed. Therefore, at the time of the measurement of the wafer W, the inflow of the processing gas from the transfer chamber 10 to the measurement chamber S is interrupted by the transfer shutter 70, and the exhaust gas from the air supply port 50 and the exhaust port 60 are exhausted. As a result, the inside of the measurement chamber S is kept clean.

The optical system 45 described in the above embodiment requires a reference member for calibration. The reference member has, for example, a predetermined existing material and surface shape, and the reference data unique to each measuring device necessary for the measurement of the wafer W is obtained by the optical system 45 actually measuring the reference member. To acquire.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the recessed part 42a is formed in the predetermined position of the surface of the mounting plate 42, and the reference chip 90 as a reference member is embedded in the recessed part 42a. . For example, flat silicon (bare silicon) is formed on the surface of the reference chip 90.

On the reference chip 90, a protective shutter 91 is provided which can move in the horizontal direction to open and close the recess 42a. The protective shutter 91 can be moved by, for example, the protective shutter drive unit 92 provided with a cylinder or the like. When the reference chip 90 is used, the protective shutter 91 is opened, and the reference chip 90 is opened with respect to the measurement chamber S. In addition, when the reference chip 90 is not used, the protective shutter 91 is closed and the reference chip 90 is covered by the protective shutter 91. By doing in this way, the time which the reference chip 90 is exposed to the atmosphere in the measurement chamber S is shortened, and the corrosion and contamination by the process gas with respect to the reference chip 90 can be suppressed. As a result, the calibration of the optical system 45 is appropriately performed.

The reference chip 90 may be provided with a portion other than the mounting plate 42, for example, the bottom surface of the measurement chamber S. In this case, the reference chip 90 is provided by providing the protective shutter 91. Corrosion and contamination of) can be suppressed.

In the transmission window 46 described in the above embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, a transparent window protection shutter 100 for protecting the transmission window 46 from the processing gas in the measurement chamber S may be provided. For example, on the lower surface side of the transmission window 46, a plate-shaped transmission window protection shutter 100 is provided to slide freely in the horizontal direction. The protection shutter 100 can slide by the shutter drive part 101, such as a cylinder, for example. And when the measurement by the optical system 45 is performed, the transmission window protective shutter 100 is opened by the shutter drive part 101, and the transmission window 46 is opened with respect to the measurement chamber S. As shown in FIG. When the measurement of the optical system 45 is finished, the transmission window protective shutter 100 is closed, and the transmission window 46 is covered by the transmission window protective shutter 100. In this case, since the transmission window 46 is protected from the processing gas flowing into the measurement chamber S, the measurement accuracy by the optical system 45 is maintained.

As shown in FIG. 9, the conveyance port 33 of the measurement chamber S described in the above embodiment has a flow of air flowing out from the conveyance port 33 through the measurement chamber S and a conveyance chamber outside the conveyance port 33 ( The rectifying plate 110 may be provided to rectify the air flow at the confluence point with the downflow in 10). The rectifying plate 110 is formed toward an inclined direction from the end part at the side of the conveyance port 33 of the bottom surface of the measurement chamber S, for example. By this rectifying plate 110, the flow of air flowing out of the conveyance port 33 and downflow merge smoothly, and the airflow does not become disturbed at the confluence point. As a result, for example, the downflow in the conveyance chamber 10 is disturbed, and the particle | grains in the conveyance chamber 10 are not wound up, for example, and the contamination of the conveyance wafer W can be suppressed.

As mentioned above, although one example of the Example of this invention was demonstrated, this invention is not limited to this example, Various forms can be employ | adopted. For example, although the measuring device 4 described in this embodiment measures the film thickness of the etching target film, a pattern structure formed on the surface of the wafer such as another measurement for the wafer W, for example, the wafer surface pattern shape after etching, etc. May be measured. The substrate processing system 1 may be equipped with a plurality of measuring devices. In addition, the mounting position of a measuring apparatus can be arbitrarily selected. Although the etching apparatus 4 was mounted in the substrate processing system 1 described in this embodiment, another gas processing apparatus using a processing gas, such as a film forming apparatus, an ashing apparatus, and a substrate surface polishing apparatus for handling acidic chemicals And a developing device or the like may be mounted. In addition, the structure of the conveying apparatus 6, the cassette mounting part 2, etc. in the substrate processing system 1 is not limited to the thing of a present Example. In addition to the semiconductor wafer, the present invention can also be applied to other substrate processing systems such as FPD (flat panel display) substrates and glass substrates for photo masks.

According to the present invention, the measurement accuracy in the measuring device is maintained, the life of the measuring device is extended, and contamination of the substrate on which the measurement is performed in the measuring device can be prevented.

Claims (16)

As a processing system of a substrate, A gas processing apparatus for processing a substrate using a processing gas, A measuring device for performing a measurement on the substrate processed by the gas processing device; Integrally having a conveying apparatus for conveying the substrate processed by the gas processing apparatus to the measuring apparatus; The measuring device includes a mounting portion for mounting a substrate, an optical measuring portion for irradiating light to the substrate mounted on the mounting portion to perform measurement on the substrate, and a measurement for the substrate on the mounting portion by accommodating the mounting portion. Having a measurement room The substrate conveyance port for conveying a board | substrate to the said mounting part is opened in the said measurement chamber, The space in which the optical measuring unit and the measuring room are blocked by aeration by a wall defining the corresponding measuring room. Substrate processing system. The method of claim 1, The exposed surface of the measurement chamber is subjected to corrosion treatment for the processing gas. Substrate processing system. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The measurement chamber is formed to accommodate only the mounting portion Substrate processing system. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The measuring chamber is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having the substrate conveyance port as one side. Substrate processing system. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The measuring device further has a housing and a measuring block provided in the housing and for forming the measuring chamber, The measuring block is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the measuring chamber is formed in a concave shape on the side wall of the measuring block. Substrate processing system. The method of claim 5, wherein The optical measuring part is provided in the hollow part between the inner wall surface defining the measurement chamber and the outer wall surface defining the external shape of the measurement block, inside the measurement block. Substrate processing system. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The transmissive part through which the light irradiated from the optical measuring part is formed is formed on the wall surface of the measuring chamber that blocks the optical measuring part. Substrate processing system. The method of claim 7, wherein The transmission part is provided with a transmission part protection shutter for protecting the transmission part from the processing gas. Substrate processing system. The method according to claim 1 or 2, An air supply port for supplying clean gas to the substrate transport port is formed on the sidewall surface of the measurement chamber at a position opposite to the substrate transport port. Substrate processing system. The method of claim 9, The measurement chamber is provided with an exhaust port for exhausting clean gas supplied from the air supply port from the vicinity of the substrate transport port downstream from the mounting portion. Substrate processing system. The method of claim 10, The exhaust port is formed on the bottom of the measurement chamber Substrate processing system. The method of claim 10, A shutter for opening and closing the substrate conveyance port; A control device is further configured to perform air supply from the air supply port when the shutter is opened, stop exhausting from the air exhaust port, and perform air supply from the air supply air supply and exhaust from the air exhaust port when the shutter is closed. Having Substrate processing system. The method of claim 9, An air inlet for introducing air outside the measuring device; An air supply duct passing through the air inlet from the air inlet; Further having a filter for removing impurities from the air passing through the air supply duct Substrate processing system. The method of claim 9, Downflow is formed outside the substrate inlet and outlet, The air supply flow rate from the air supply port is set to be smaller than the flow rate of the downflow. Substrate processing system. The method of claim 9, Downflow is formed outside the substrate inlet and outlet, The substrate transfer port is provided with a rectifying plate for rectifying the air flow at the confluence of the flow of the clean gas in the measurement chamber and the downflow. Substrate processing system. The method according to claim 1 or 2, In the measurement chamber there is provided a reference member to which light is irradiated from the optical measuring unit to calibrate the measurement by the optical measuring unit, The reference member is provided with a protective shutter for protecting the reference member from the processing gas Substrate processing system.

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