KR101395019B1 - Apparatus for measuring and adjusting concentration of the developer - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring and adjusting the concentration of a developer which performs control so that the change amount of the line width (LW) of a photoresist pattern by measuring the alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2) and PR concentration (C3) of an alkaline developer used for the developing treatment of a photoresist (PR) on a substrate reaches a constant value or less. The apparatus for measuring and adjusting the concentration of a developer comprises: a sensor part which includes at least three sensors respectively measuring at least three physical properties among a first property to a n^th property of an alkaline developer; a concentration measuring part which measures the alkali concentration, carbonate concentration and PR concentration of the alkaline developer by a pre-calculated constant relation between the data of at least three physical properties measured and the alkaline concentration of the alkaline developer, a pre-calculated constant relation between the data of at least three physical properties measured and the carbonate concentration of the alkaline developer, and a pre-calculated constant relation between the data of at least three physical properties measured and the PR concentration of the alkaline developer by receiving the data of at least three physical properties among the first property to n^th property measured in the sensor part, and calculates a line width variation determination index (Z) for determining the change amount of the line width of the photoresist pattern by using the alkali concentration, carbonate concentration and PR concentration; and a concentration controlling part which receives the line width variation determination index (Z) from the concentration measuring part and controls at least one among the alkali concentration, carbonate concentration and PR concentration so that the line width variation determination index (Z) is in a constant range.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AND ADJUSTING CONCENTRATION OF THE DEVELOPER [0002]

More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring and regulating the concentration of an alkaline developer in which a plurality of components are dissolved.

An organic alkali aqueous solution mainly composed of tetramethylammonium hydroxide (hereinafter referred to as "TMAH") or the like is used as a photoresist (PR: PhotoResist) developing process in a manufacturing process such as semiconductor, LCD, LED, It is used as developer. In the industry using the developer, the use of the developer has increased due to the enlargement of the substrate size. In order to reduce the material cost and the disposal cost, the spent developer is recovered and supplied to the developing process. The initial developer contains only TMAH, but as the developer is used, carbonate and photoresist develop in the developer and the concentration increases. That is, the developer used is in the form of a mixed solution in which three solutes of TMAH, photoresist and carbonate are dissolved. Of the three solutes dissolved in the developer, TMAH is a solute that increases the developing ability, and the carbonate and photoresist are solutes that reduce the developing ability of the developer. That is, the higher the TMAH concentration, the higher the developing ability, and the higher the concentration of carbonate and photoresist, the lower the developing ability. Therefore, it is very important to provide a determination index of change in the developer linewidth that accurately predicts the developing ability of the developer by accurately analyzing the concentrations of the three solutes dissolved in the developer.

Conventionally, a two-component concentration measuring device for measuring the concentration of only TMAH and carbonate in TMAH, a carbonate and a photoresist, or the concentration of only TMAH and photoresist has been widely used. Recently, in order to more accurately measure the concentration of developer, a three-component concentration measuring device capable of measuring all the individual concentrations of TMAH, carbonate and photoresist except water is being developed. However, until now, assuming that the concentration of the two components among the three components of the alkaline developer is constant, the concentrations of the two components are measured and then the concentration of the remaining components is predicted to obtain the concentrations of the three components The concentration of the three independent components of the alkaline developing solution can not be accurately measured.

Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2003-0018961 (published October 10, 2003)

An object of the present invention is to provide a concentration measuring and regulating device for accurately measuring the concentration of a solute of a developer.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a concentration measuring and adjusting device for controlling the amount of change in line width of a photoresist pattern on a substrate to be a predetermined value or less.

The concentration measuring and regulating apparatus according to the present invention measures an alkali concentration (C1), a carbonate concentration (C2) and a PR concentration (C3) of an alkaline developer used for developing a photoresist (PR) The line width (LW) of the resist pattern is controlled to be a predetermined value or less, and includes a sensor portion, a concentration measuring portion, and a concentration adjusting portion. The sensor section includes at least three sensors each measuring at least three physical properties of the first to nth physical properties (n is an integer of 3 or more) of the alkaline developer. The density measuring section receives the data of the first to nth physical properties measured by the sensor section and determines a predetermined relationship between the measured at least three physical property data and the alkali concentration (C1) of the alkaline developing solution, The predetermined relationship between the physical property data of the branch and the carbonate concentration (C2) of the alkaline developer and the predetermined relationship between the measured at least three physical property data and the PR concentration (C3) of the alkaline developer, The alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration and the PR concentration are measured, and the line width change determination index (Z) proportional to the line width of the photoresist pattern is obtained by using the measured alkali concentration, carbonate concentration and PR concentration. The concentration controller receives at least one of the alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration, and the PR concentration such that the line width change determination index (Z) is within a predetermined range.
When any one of the alkali component, carbonate component and PR component of the alkaline developer is referred to as a first component, a predetermined relationship between at least three measured physical property data and a predetermined concentration of the first component can be obtained. The predetermined relationship that is obtained in advance is obtained by measuring at least three physical properties of an alkaline developer having a constant concentration containing only a first component of a predetermined concentration by the sensor section and comparing the at least three properties of the first component And can be obtained by matching a predetermined concentration.
Any one of the two components other than the above-mentioned first component among the alkali component, carbonate component and PR component of the alkaline developer is referred to as a second component, and data of at least three physical properties in which a predetermined concentration of the first component is matched, In the case of matching data, a predetermined relationship between at least three measured physical property data and a predetermined concentration of the second component can be obtained. The predetermined relationship that is obtained in advance is obtained by measuring at least three physical properties of an alkaline developer at a predetermined temperature including only a first component of a predetermined concentration and a second component of a predetermined concentration by the sensor section, The difference between the physical property data and the first matching data can be obtained by matching a predetermined concentration of the second component.

As described above, the concentration measuring and adjusting device according to the present invention measures at least three physical property data of the developer, and determines a predetermined relationship between the measured at least three physical property data and the alkali concentration (C1) of the alkaline developing solution, And the predetermined relationship between the at least three physical property data and the carbonate concentration (C2) of the alkaline developing liquid and the predetermined relationship between the measured at least three physical property data and the PR concentration (C3) of the alkaline developing liquid, Since the alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2), and the PR concentration (C3) of the developer are measured, these concentrations can be more accurately measured. Furthermore, the concentration measuring and adjusting apparatus according to the present invention can more accurately determine the line width variation of the photoresist pattern by using the more precisely measured alkali concentration, carbonate concentration and PR concentration. Therefore, according to the apparatus for measuring and adjusting the density according to the present invention, it is determined whether or not the amount of change in the line width of the photoresist pattern deviates from the allowable variation amount, based on the amount of change in the line width of the photoresist pattern accurately determined as described above. Since the concentration of the developer is adjusted so that the variation amount of the line width of the photoresist pattern is within the permissible variation amount range, the developing ability of the developer can be maintained within a certain level range.

The concentration measuring and regulating apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the first to nth physical properties are six physical properties, the first physical property is electric conductivity, the second property is ultrasonic wave propagation velocity, the third property is absorbance, The physical property may be the refractive index, the fifth property may be the ultrasonic absorption, and the sixth property may be Raman spectrum.

As described above, the concentration measuring and adjusting device according to the present invention measures the electric conductivity, the ultrasonic wave propagation speed, the absorbance, the refractive index, the ultrasonic wave absorption rate and the Raman spectrum of the developing solution and measures the electric conductivity, the ultrasonic wave propagation rate, the absorbance, And Raman spectrum data are used to measure the alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration, and the PR concentration, it is possible to more accurately measure these concentrations.

The concentration measuring and regulating apparatus according to the present invention measures an alkali concentration (C1), a carbonate concentration (C2) and a PR concentration (C3) of an alkaline developer used for developing a photoresist (PR) The line width (LW) of the resist pattern is controlled to be a predetermined value or less, and includes a sensor portion, a concentration measuring portion, and a concentration adjusting portion. The sensor section includes three sensors for respectively measuring the first property, the second property and the third property of the alkaline developer. The density measuring unit receives the data of the first to third physical properties measured by the sensor unit and determines a predetermined relationship between the measured first to third physical property data and the alkali concentration (C1) of the alkaline developing solution, The predetermined relationship between the first to third physical property data and the carbonate concentration (C2) of the alkaline developing solution, and the predetermined relationship between the measured one to three properties data and the PR concentration (C3) of the alkaline developing solution , The alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration, and the PR concentration of the alkaline developer are measured, and the line width change determination index (Z) proportional to the line width of the photoresist pattern is obtained using the measured alkali concentration, carbonate concentration and PR concentration. The concentration controller receives at least one of the alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration, and the PR concentration such that the line width change determination index (Z) is within a predetermined range.
When any one of the alkali component, the carbonate component and the PR component of the alkaline developer is referred to as a first component, a preliminarily determined predetermined relationship between the measured first to third properties data and the predetermined concentration of the first component can be obtained . The predetermined relationship that is obtained in advance is obtained by measuring the first to third physical properties of the alkaline developer having a constant concentration including only the first component of a predetermined concentration by the sensor section and comparing the first to third properties data Can be obtained by matching a predetermined concentration of the first component.
Any one of the alkali component, carbonate component and PR component of the alkaline developer other than the above-mentioned first component may be referred to as a second component, and data of the first to third properties, in which a predetermined concentration of the first component is matched, The predetermined relationship between the measured first to third properties data and the predetermined concentration of the second component can be obtained. The predetermined relationship that is obtained in advance is obtained by measuring the first to third properties of the alkaline developing solution at a constant temperature including only the first component of the predetermined concentration and the second component of the predetermined concentration by the sensor section, And the difference between the physical property data and the third property data and the first matching data is matched with a predetermined concentration of the second component.

As described above, the concentration measuring and regulating apparatus according to the present invention measures the one to three physical property data of the alkaline developer, and determines the concentration of the alkaline developer C1 by comparing the measured first to third physical property data with the alkali concentration C1 of the alkaline developing agent , A predetermined relationship between measured first to third physical property data and the carbonate concentration (C2) of the alkaline developing solution, and a predetermined relationship between the measured first to third physical property data and the PR concentration (C3) of the alkaline developing solution Since the alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2), and the PR concentration (C3) of the alkaline developing solution are measured according to the obtained predetermined relationship, these concentrations can be more accurately measured. Furthermore, the concentration measuring and adjusting apparatus according to the present invention can more accurately determine the line width variation of the photoresist pattern by using the more precisely measured alkali concentration, carbonate concentration and PR concentration. Therefore, according to the apparatus for measuring and adjusting the density according to the present invention, it is determined whether or not the amount of change in the line width of the photoresist pattern deviates from the allowable variation amount, based on the amount of change in the line width of the photoresist pattern accurately determined as described above. Since the concentration of the developer is adjusted so that the variation amount of the line width of the photoresist pattern is within the permissible variation amount range, the developing ability of the developer can be maintained within a certain level range.

In the concentration measuring and regulating apparatus according to the present invention, the first property may be electric conductivity, the second property may be an ultrasonic wave propagation velocity, and the third property may be an absorbance.

As described above, the concentration measuring and regulating apparatus according to the present invention measures the electrical conductivity, the ultrasonic wave propagation speed and the absorbance of the developer, and measures the alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration and the PR concentration using the measured electric conductivity, the ultrasonic wave propagation rate and the absorbance data And therefore, these concentrations can be measured more accurately.

The relationship between the linewidth change determination index (Z) and the alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2) and the PR concentration (C) is Z = A x C1 + B x C2 + C x C3 and A, B and C can be constants determined by multiple regression analysis of alkali concentration (C1), carbonate concentration (C2), and PR concentration (C3).

Thus, since the relationship between the alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration, and the PR concentration and the line width change determination index (Z) of the developing solution is determined, the alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration and the PR concentration The line width change determination index Z for determining the line width of the photoresist pattern can be accurately obtained by inputting the above expression into the above-mentioned relational expression. The linewidth of the photoresist pattern is managed to be within a predetermined range by managing the line width change determination index Z thus obtained. Therefore, the change amount of the line width of the photoresist pattern is not controlled by the concentration of a specific solute of the developer but is controlled by the line width change determination index Z considering the concentration of the three solutes of the developer, have.

The concentration measuring and adjusting device according to the present invention is characterized in that the concentration adjusting section performs at least one of the decrease of the alkali concentration, the increase of the carbonate concentration and the increase of the PR concentration when the line width change determination index is larger than the upper limit value of the predetermined range, If the determination index is smaller than the lower limit value of the predetermined range, at least one of the increase of the alkali concentration, the decrease of the carbonate concentration, and the decrease of the PR concentration can be performed.

Thus, the apparatus for measuring and controlling the concentration according to the present invention controls at least one of alkali concentration, carbonate concentration and PR concentration of the developer according to the linewidth change determination index (Z) that determines the variation amount of the linewidth. Thus, while conventional concentration measuring and regulating devices measure the concentration of a particular solute in a developer and adjust the concentration of the solute by predicting the concentration relationship between the solutes, the concentration measuring and regulating device according to the present invention can be used in a developer The concentration of the developer can be controlled to the required concentration by the linewidth change decision index which considers the dissolved solute concentrations independently, so that the concentration of the developer solute can be more accurately controlled.

The concentration A of the alkali concentration (C1) is obtained when the carbonate concentration (C2) and the PR concentration (C3) are 0, and the coefficient B of the carbonate concentration (C2) C3) is 0, the coefficient C of the alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2) and the coefficient A, and the coefficient C of the PR concentration (C3) The PR concentration (C3) and the coefficient A can be obtained.

Thus, in order to obtain an alkali component for developing the photoresist of the substrate among the components of the alkali developing solution, the concentration of the remaining component is assumed to be 0, and the coefficient of the alkali concentration (C1) can be obtained have. The coefficient B of the carbonate concentration (C2) can be obtained by assuming that the PR concentration (C3) is zero, and the coefficient C of the PR concentration (C3) can be obtained by assuming that the carbonate concentration (C2) is zero. The linewidth change determination index Z and the alkali concentration C1 (C) are obtained by obtaining coefficients of the relationship between the linewidth change determination index Z and the alkali concentration C1, the carbonate concentration C2 and the PR concentration C, ), The carbonate concentration (C2), and the PR concentration (C).

The concentration A of the alkali concentration (C1) is obtained when the carbonate concentration (C2) and the PR concentration (C3) are 0, and the coefficient B of the carbonate concentration (C2) C3) is 0, the coefficient C of the alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2) and the PR concentration (C3) are obtained from the alkali concentration ), The coefficients A and B can be obtained.

Thus, in order to obtain an alkali component for developing the photoresist of the substrate among the components of the alkali developing solution, the concentration of the remaining component is assumed to be 0, and the coefficient of the alkali concentration (C1) can be obtained have. The coefficient B of the carbonate concentration (C2) can be obtained by assuming the PR concentration (C3) to be zero, and the coefficient C of the PR concentration (C3) can be obtained by using the coefficients A and B obtained previously. The linewidth change determination index Z and the alkali concentration C1 (C) are obtained by obtaining coefficients of the relationship between the linewidth change determination index Z and the alkali concentration C1, the carbonate concentration C2 and the PR concentration C, ), The carbonate concentration (C2), and the PR concentration (C).

The concentration A of the alkali concentration (C1) is obtained when the carbonate concentration (C2) and the PR concentration (C3) are 0, and the coefficient C of the PR concentration (C3) (C2) PR concentration (C3) is calculated from the alkali concentration (C1), the PR concentration (C3) and the coefficient A, and the coefficient B of the carbonate concentration (C2) ), The coefficient A and the coefficient C.

Thus, in order to obtain an alkali component for developing the photoresist of the substrate among the components of the alkali developing solution, the concentration of the remaining component is assumed to be 0, and the coefficient of the alkali concentration (C1) can be obtained have. The coefficient C of the PR concentration (C3) can be obtained by assuming that the carbonate concentration (C2) is zero, and the coefficient B of the carbonate concentration (C2) can be obtained by using the coefficients A and C obtained above. The linewidth change determination index Z and the alkali concentration C1 (C) are obtained by obtaining coefficients of the relationship between the linewidth change determination index Z and the alkali concentration C1, the carbonate concentration C2 and the PR concentration C, ), The carbonate concentration (C2), and the PR concentration (C).

The apparatus for measuring and adjusting the concentration according to the present invention may further include a display unit for receiving and displaying an alkali concentration, a carbonate concentration, a PR concentration, or a linewidth change determination index Z from a concentration measuring unit.

As described above, the concentration measuring and adjusting apparatus according to the present invention can inform the user of the state of developer by receiving and displaying the alkali concentration, carbonate concentration, PR concentration, or linewidth change determination index (Z) of the developer.

Embodiments of the disclosed technique may have effects that include the following advantages. It should be understood, however, that the scope of the disclosed technology is not to be construed as limited thereby, since the embodiments of the disclosed technology are not meant to include all such embodiments.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a concentration measurement and adjustment device for accurately measuring the concentration of solute in a developer.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a concentration measuring and adjusting device for controlling the variation amount of the line width of the photoresist pattern on the substrate to be a predetermined value or less.

1 is a schematic view of a developer reuse system in which a developer concentration measuring and regulating device according to an embodiment of the present invention is used.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a concentration measuring and regulating device for a developer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
3 is a graph showing the relationship between the alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration, the PR concentration, the electrical conductivity of the developer, the ultrasonic propagation speed, and the absorbance of the developer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a graph showing the relationship between the alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration and the PR concentration and the line width of the photoresist pattern.
5 is a graph showing the relationship between the linewidth change determination index Z and the linewidth of the photoresist pattern of the concentration measuring and adjusting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. It should be understood that the various embodiments of the present invention are different, but need not be mutually exclusive. For example, certain features, structures, and characteristics described herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in connection with an embodiment. It is also to be understood that the position or arrangement of the individual components within each disclosed embodiment may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled, if properly explained. In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to the same or similar functions throughout the several views.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention.

[Preferred Embodiment of the Present Invention]

First, a developer concentration measuring and adjusting device to which a developing agent concentration measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, and a developer reuse system to which the concentration measuring and adjusting device is applied will be schematically described.

1 is a schematic view of a developer reuse system to which a concentration measuring and regulating device for a developer according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

Referring to FIG. 1, a developer reuse system to which a developer concentration measuring and regulating device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied includes a manufacturing tank 10 for producing a developer of a predetermined concentration, a semiconductor device, a liquid crystal display, A supply line 30 for supplying the produced developer to the developing apparatus 20 from the manufacturing tank 10 and a supply line 30 for supplying the used developer from the developing apparatus 20 to the manufacturing tank 20, A concentration measuring and regulating device 50 for measuring and adjusting the concentration of the developer in the manufacturing tank 10 and a concentration measuring device 50 for measuring the concentration of the developer in the manufacturing tank 10, And a circulation channel (60) through which the developer circulates between the regulating devices (50).

Next, a developer concentration measuring apparatus 80 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. The developer concentration measuring device 80 is indicated by a broken line 80 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, an apparatus for measuring the concentration of a developer 80 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes first, second, and third properties of an alkaline developer. , And a n-th physical property, and at least three physical properties of at least three physical properties among the first to n-th properties measured by the sensor unit (51) And a concentration measuring unit 55 for measuring the alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration, and the PR concentration of the developing solution.

The density measuring unit 55 according to the embodiment of the present invention measures a predetermined relationship between at least three physical property data measured by the sensor unit 51 and the alkali concentration C1 of the alkaline developing solution, The predetermined relationship between the physical property data and the carbonate concentration (C2) of the alkaline developing liquid and the predetermined relationship between the measured at least three physical property data and the PR concentration (C3) of the alkaline developing liquid determine the alkali concentration , The carbonate concentration and the PR concentration are measured.

The concentration measuring unit 55 according to the embodiment of the present invention melts the alkali component, the carbonate component and the PR component by utilizing the characteristic that each of the alkali component, the carbonate component and the PR component of the alkaline developer has different effects on the measurement data of the sensor The concentration of each of the alkali component, the carbonate component and the PR component can be simultaneously measured in the alkaline developer. Concretely, the concentration of each of the alkaline developer component, the carbonate component and the PR component of the alkaline developer is measured simultaneously using the difference value between the alkali component, the carbonate component and the PR component data measured by the first to third sensors 52, 53 and 54 .

Meanwhile, the first to nth physical properties of the developer measured by the developer concentration measuring device 80 according to the embodiment of the present invention are determined by the electric conductivity of the developer, the ultrasonic propagation speed, the absorbance, the refractive index, the absorption rate of ultrasonic waves, the Raman spectrum Spectrum) and the like. In addition to the six physical properties described above, the physical properties used for the concentration measurement of the developer may be physical properties measured by the developer concentration measuring device 80 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, the sensor unit 51 of the developer concentration measuring apparatus 80 according to the embodiment of the present invention can measure at least three physical properties data of the alkaline developing liquid, that is, the electric conductivity, the ultrasonic propagation speed, the absorbance, the refractive index, At least three sensors for measuring the temperature.

1, a developer concentration measuring apparatus 80 according to a more preferred embodiment comprises a first sensor 52 for measuring a first property of an alkaline developer, a second sensor 52 for measuring a second property of an alkaline developer, A sensor 53 including a sensor 53 and a third sensor 54 for measuring a third property of the alkaline developing solution; And a concentration measuring unit 55 that receives the third property data and measures the alkali concentration, carbonate concentration, and PR concentration of the developer.

The density measuring unit 55 according to the embodiment of the present invention measures a predetermined relationship between the first to third physical property data measured by the sensor unit 51 and the alkali concentration C1 of the alkaline developing solution, Predetermined relationship between the physical properties and the third physical property data and the carbonate concentration (C2) of the alkaline developer, and the predetermined relationship between the measured first to third physical property data and the PR concentration (C3) of the alkaline developer, , The alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration and the PR concentration of the alkaline developer are measured.

Meanwhile, according to the embodiment of the present invention, there are various methods for selecting the first to third physical properties among the above-mentioned developer in terms of electric conductivity, ultrasonic propagation speed, absorbance, refractive index, ultrasonic absorption rate, Raman spectrum, An apparatus 80 for measuring the concentration of a developer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention measures the electrical conductivity, ultrasonic propagation speed, and absorbance of an alkaline developer. Therefore, the sensor unit 51 of the developer concentration measuring apparatus 80 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the first sensor 52 for measuring the electrical conductivity of the alkaline developer, the second sensor 53 for measuring the ultrasonic wave propagation speed And a third sensor 54 for measuring the absorbance.

Hereinafter, a developer concentration measuring apparatus for measuring the developer concentration by measuring the electric conductivity of the developer, the propagation velocity of the ultrasonic wave, and the absorbance thereof will be described in detail.

2 is a schematic view of an apparatus for measuring the concentration of a developer according to an embodiment of the present invention and an apparatus for measuring and adjusting the concentration of the developer to which the apparatus for measuring the concentration is applied. The developer concentration measuring device 80 is indicated by a broken line 80 in FIG. 1 and 2, a sensor unit 51 of a developer concentration measuring apparatus 80 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first sensor 52 for measuring an electric conductivity of an alkaline developer, A second sensor 53 for measuring the ultrasonic wave propagation speed, and a third sensor 54 for measuring the absorbance of the alkaline developer.

1 and 2, the developing solution in the manufacturing tank 10 flows along the circulation flow path 60 between the sensor portion 51 of the concentration measuring device 80 and the manufacturing tank 10. The first to third sensors 52, 53 and 54 of the sensor unit 51 can measure the electric conductivity, ultrasound propagation velocity and absorbance of the developer flowing along the circulation channel 60. Each of the first to third sensors 52, 53, and 54 sends a signal for measurement of the physical property to the developer, receives a return signal, and measures the physical property. For example, the first sensor 52 sends a drive signal to the developer to measure the amount of electrolyte in the developer, and the second sensor 53 sends an ultrasonic signal to the developer to measure the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity in the developer , The third sensor 54 may send a UV light source signal to the developer to measure the absorbance of the developer. More specifically, the first sensor 52 can measure the change in electrical conductivity due to the physical properties and the amount of the solute present in the alkaline developer, and is influenced by the concentration and intensity of ions. The concentration of the nonconductive material Changes are not easily detected. The second sensor 53 can measure the phenomenon that the ultrasonic signal interferes with the physical properties or the amount of the solute existing in the alkaline developer and the speed or the size thereof is changed. The second sensor 53 is greatly influenced by the size and density of the particles. The third sensor 54 can measure a phenomenon in which a light signal is interfered with due to physical properties or amount of a solute existing in an alkaline developing solution to cause a change in the reflection angle, intensity, amount of light, or spectroscopic phenomenon, It is influenced by the inherent physical and energy characteristics of the device. The materials of these light sources are various, and it is possible to cope with various kinds of light sources

The concentration measuring unit 55 of the developer concentration measuring apparatus 80 according to the embodiment of the present invention measures the electric conductivity data 52a of the developer measured by the sensor unit 51, the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity data 53a, (54a). The density measuring unit 55 measures a predetermined relationship between the first to third physical property data measured by the sensor unit 51 and the alkali concentration C1 of the alkaline developing liquid, the measured first to third physical property data And the predetermined relationship between the measured first to third physical property data and the PR concentration (C3) of the alkaline developing solution, and the predetermined relationship between the alkali concentration of the alkaline developing solution and the carbonate concentration Concentration and PR concentration are measured.

The concentration measuring unit 55 can supply power to the first sensor 52, the second sensor 53 and the third sensor 54 of the sensor unit 51. [ Further, the sensor unit 51 controls the magnitude and waveform of the signal sent to the developer. This control is performed by transmitting control signals 52b, 53b, and 54b to the sensor unit 51. [

The concentration measuring apparatus 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention may further include a display unit 58 for receiving and displaying the alkali concentration, carbonate concentration, and PR concentration of the developer from the concentration measuring unit 55. The display unit 58 can display the data 59 input from the density measuring unit 55. [ The data 59 inputted from the density measuring section 55, that is, the alkali concentration C1, the carbonate concentration C2 and the PR concentration C3 measured by the concentration measuring section 55 are displayed for the purpose of adjusting the concentration of the developer . Therefore, the display unit 58 can inform the state of the developer by receiving and displaying the alkaline concentration, the carbonate concentration, and the PR concentration of the developer.

3 is a graph showing the relationship between the electric conductivity, the ultrasonic propagation speed and the absorbance of a developer according to an embodiment of the present invention, the alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration, and the PR concentration of the developer.

Referring to FIG. 3, it can be seen that the electric conductivity, ultrasound propagation velocity and absorbance of the developer, the alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2), and the PR concentration (C3) match one by one.

3, when the electric conductivity, ultrasound propagation velocity and absorbance of the developer are determined to be specific values, the alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2), and the PR concentration (C3) are set to specific values. Therefore, the alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2), and the PR concentration (C3) can be obtained by performing multiple regression analysis on the data obtained by measuring the electrical conductivity, the ultrasonic wave propagation speed and the absorbance of the developer. Specifically, the concentration measuring unit 55 according to an embodiment of the present invention receives the electric conductivity, the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity, and the absorbance data measured by the sensor unit 51 and measures the measured electric conductivity, the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity and the absorbance data The predetermined relationship between the measured conductivity, the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity and the absorbance data and the carbonate concentration (C2) of the alkaline developing solution, and the measured electric conductivity, the ultrasonic propagation speed The alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2), and the PR concentration (C3) of the developer can be measured according to a predetermined relation between the rate and absorbance data and the PR concentration (C3) of the alkaline developing solution.

Specific methods for obtaining the alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2), and the PR concentration (C3) according to the embodiment of the present invention are as follows.

Hereinafter, the predetermined relationship between the electric conductivity of the alkaline developer, the ultrasonic propagation speed and the absorbance data and the alkali concentration (C1) in the concentration measuring unit 55 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the electric conductivity of the alkaline developer, A predetermined relationship between the velocity and the absorbance data and the predetermined relationship between the carbonate concentration (C2), the electric conductivity of the alkaline developer, the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity and the absorbance data and the PR concentration (C3) are determined in detail .

If any one of the alkali component, the carbonate component and the PR component of the alkaline developer is referred to as the first component, the predetermined component of the first to third properties data measured by the sensor portion 51 and the predetermined concentration of the first component The relationship is determined by measuring the first to third properties of the alkaline developing solution at a constant temperature containing only the first component at a predetermined concentration by the sensor section 51 and comparing the measured first to third properties Can be obtained by matching a predetermined concentration of the component. When the relationship between the measured first to third physical property data and the predetermined concentration of the first component is obtained, by measuring the first to third physical property data and substituting the first to third property data into the predetermined relationship, Can be obtained.

When the predetermined concentration of the first component is obtained, the concentration of any one of the two components other than the above-mentioned first component among the alkaline component, carbonate component and PR component of the alkaline developer and the electric conductivity of the alkaline developer, The predetermined relationship that is obtained in advance with the absorbance data can be obtained as follows.

Any one of the alkali component, carbonate component and PR component of the alkaline developer other than the above-mentioned first component may be referred to as a second component, and data of the first to third properties, in which a predetermined concentration of the first component is matched, The predetermined relationship between the first to third property data measured by the sensor unit 51 and the predetermined concentration of the second component is a predetermined relationship between the first component of the predetermined concentration and the predetermined concentration The first to third physical properties of the alkaline developing solution at a constant temperature including only the second component are measured by the sensor unit 51 and the difference value between the measured first to third physical property data and the first matching data By matching a predetermined concentration of the second component. When the relationship between the measured first to third physical property data and the predetermined concentration of the second component is determined, the first to third physical property data are measured and substituted into the predetermined relationship, The concentration of the component can be obtained.

When the concentrations of the two components of the alkaline developer, the carbonate component and the PR component of the alkaline developer are obtained, the predetermined relationship between the concentration of the remaining component, that is, the third component, and the electric conductivity of the alkaline developer, the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity and the absorbance data Can be obtained as follows.

The components other than the above-mentioned first component and the above-mentioned second component among the alkali component, carbonate component and PR component of the alkaline developer are referred to as a third component, and the predetermined concentration of the first component and the second component is the first property, If the data of the third physical property is the second matching data, the predetermined relationship between the first to third physical property data measured by the sensor unit 51 and the predetermined concentration of the third component is a predetermined first relationship The first to third physical properties of the alkaline developing solution at a constant temperature including the first component, the second component at a predetermined concentration, and the third component at a predetermined concentration are measured by the sensor section 51, 3 property data and the second matching data to match the predetermined concentration of the third component. When the relationship between the measured first to third measured data and the predetermined concentration of the third component is obtained, the first to third measured data are measured and substituted into the predetermined relationship, The concentration of the component can be obtained.

The electric conductivity, the ultrasonic wave propagation speed and the absorbance of the alkaline developer at a constant temperature are measured using a sensor, and the relationship between the measured electric conductivity, the ultrasonic propagation speed and the absorbance data and the concentration of each solute in the alkaline developer is converted into a database It can be used for concentration measurement algorithm.

On the other hand, the predetermined relationship between the measured electric conductivity, the ultrasonic propagation velocity and the absorbance data and the alkali concentration (C1) of the alkaline developer, the measured electric conductivity, the ultrasonic propagation velocity and the absorbance data and the carbonate concentration And the predetermined relationship between the measured electric conductivity, the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity and the absorbance data and the PR concentration (C3) of the alkaline developing solution can be obtained by measuring the electric conductivity of the measured developing liquid, the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity and the absorbance data May be obtained simultaneously by multiple regression analysis. That is, the electric conductivity, ultrasound propagation velocity and absorbance data of the developer may be subjected to multiple regression analysis to obtain a relational expression between the electric conductivity, ultrasound propagation velocity and absorbance data of the developer, and the alkali concentration, carbonate concentration and PR concentration. Thus, if the relationship between the electrical conductivity, the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity and the absorbance data of the developer, the alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration and the PR concentration is determined, the electrical conductivity of the developer, the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity and the absorbance are measured, The carbonate concentration and the PR concentration can be measured.

Next, the developer concentration measuring and adjusting device 50 to which the developer concentration measuring device 80 according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described in detail. The apparatus for measuring and regulating the concentration of a developer to which a concentration measuring device 80 for a developer according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied measures the alkali concentration, carbonate concentration and PR concentration of the developer in the producing tank 10, (Line Width, LW) of the photoregist (PR) pattern is controlled to be a predetermined value or less. The amount of change in line width of the photoresist pattern allowed for each process may be different. That is, the allowable variation amount of the line width of the photoresist pattern can be changed according to the accuracy of the line width of the photoresist pattern required in each step. Therefore, the concentration measuring and adjusting device 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention can maintain the developing ability of the alkaline developing solution within a predetermined level according to the accuracy of the line width of the photoresist pattern required in each step, It is possible to control the variation amount of the line width to be equal to or smaller than a predetermined value. The apparatus for measuring and controlling the concentration of developer according to the embodiment of the present invention controls the amount of change of the line width of the photoresist pattern within a predetermined range so that while the amount of change of the line width of the photoresist pattern is maintained within a predetermined range, The alkaline developing solution can be reused without the necessity of adjusting the concentration such as additional supply. Therefore, the amount of the developer to be reused can be reduced, thereby improving the productivity and reducing the cost.

As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus for measuring and regulating the concentration of a developer according to an embodiment of the present invention includes first and second physical properties of an alkaline developing solution. , And a n-th physical property, and at least three physical properties of at least three physical properties among the first to n-th properties measured by the sensor unit (51) A concentration measurement unit 55 for measuring the alkali concentration, carbonate concentration and PR concentration of the developer and determining a line width change determination index (Z) for determining the change amount of the line width of the photoresist pattern, a concentration measurement unit 55, And a concentration adjusting unit 56 for adjusting at least one of the alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration, and the PR concentration such that the line width change determination index Z is within a predetermined range.

The density measuring unit 55 according to the embodiment of the present invention measures a predetermined relationship between at least three physical property data measured by the sensor unit 51 and the alkali concentration C1 of the alkaline developing solution, The predetermined relationship between the physical property data and the carbonate concentration (C2) of the alkaline developing liquid and the predetermined relationship between the measured at least three physical property data and the PR concentration (C3) of the alkaline developing liquid determine the alkali concentration , The carbonate concentration and the PR concentration are measured, and the linewidth change determination index (Z) for determining the variation amount of the line width of the photoresist pattern is obtained by using the measured alkali concentration, carbonate concentration and PR concentration.

The concentration measuring unit 55 according to the embodiment of the present invention melts the alkali component, the carbonate component and the PR component by utilizing the characteristic that each of the alkali component, the carbonate component and the PR component of the alkaline developer has different effects on the measurement data of the sensor The concentration of each of the alkali component, the carbonate component and the PR component can be simultaneously measured in the alkaline developer. Concretely, the concentration of each of the alkaline developer component, the carbonate component and the PR component of the alkaline developer is measured simultaneously using the difference value between the alkali component, the carbonate component and the PR component data measured by the first to third sensors 52, 53 and 54 .

Meanwhile, the first to nth physical properties of the developer measured by the developer concentration measuring and controlling device 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention are determined by the electric conductivity, the ultrasonic propagation speed, the absorbance, the refractive index, the ultrasonic absorption rate, (Raman Spectrum), and the like. In addition to the six physical properties described above, the physical properties used for the concentration measurement of the developer may be the physical properties measured by the developer concentration measuring and controlling device 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, the sensor unit 51 of the developer concentration measuring apparatus 80 according to the embodiment of the present invention can measure at least three physical properties data of the alkaline developing liquid, that is, the electric conductivity, the ultrasonic propagation speed, the absorbance, the refractive index, At least three sensors for measuring the temperature.

As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus for measuring and adjusting developer concentration 50 according to a more preferred embodiment includes a first sensor 52 for measuring a first property of an alkaline developer, a second sensor 52 for measuring a second property of an alkaline developer A second sensor 53 and a third sensor 54 for measuring a third property of the alkaline developing solution and a second sensor 54 for detecting the first to third physical property data measured by the sensor unit 51 A concentration measuring section 55 for measuring the alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration and the PR concentration of the developing solution and determining the line width variation determination index Z for determining the variation amount of the line width of the photoresist pattern, And a concentration adjusting unit 56 that receives the determination index Z and adjusts at least one of an alkali concentration, a carbonate concentration, and a PR concentration such that the line width change determination index Z is within a predetermined range.

The density measuring unit 55 according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured to measure the predetermined relationship between the first to third physical property data measured by the sensor unit 51 and the alkali concentration C1 of the alkaline developer, The predetermined relationship between the first to third physical property data and the carbonate concentration (C2) of the alkaline developing solution and the predetermined relationship between the measured first to third physical property data and the PR concentration (C3) of the alkaline developing solution The alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration and the PR concentration of the developer are measured, and the linewidth change determination index (Z) for determining the variation amount of the line width of the photoresist pattern is obtained by using the measured alkali concentration, carbonate concentration and PR concentration.

Meanwhile, according to the embodiment of the present invention, there are various methods for selecting the first to third physical properties among the above-mentioned developer in terms of electric conductivity, ultrasonic propagation speed, absorbance, refractive index, ultrasonic absorption rate, Raman spectrum, The apparatus for measuring and controlling the developer concentration 50 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention measures the electrical conductivity, ultrasonic propagation speed, and absorbance of the alkaline developer. Therefore, the sensor unit 51 of the developer concentration measuring apparatus 80 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the first sensor 52 for measuring the electrical conductivity of the alkaline developer, the second sensor 53 for measuring the ultrasonic wave propagation speed And a third sensor 54 for measuring the absorbance.

Hereinafter, the concentration measuring and adjusting device for measuring and controlling the concentration of the developer by measuring the electric conductivity, the ultrasonic wave propagation speed, and the absorbance of the developer will be described in detail.

1 and 2, the sensor unit 51 of the apparatus for measuring and controlling the developer concentration 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first sensor 52 for measuring an electric conductivity of an alkaline developer, A second sensor 53 for measuring the ultrasonic wave propagation speed of the developer, and a third sensor 54 for measuring the absorbance of the alkaline developer.

1 and 2, the developer in the manufacturing tank 10 flows along the circulating flow path 60 between the sensor portion 51 of the concentration measuring and regulating device 50 and the manufacturing tank 10. The first to third sensors 52, 53 and 54 of the sensor unit 51 can measure the electric conductivity, ultrasound propagation velocity and absorbance of the developer flowing along the circulation channel 60. Each of the first to third sensors 52, 53, and 54 sends a signal for measurement of the physical property to the developer, receives a return signal, and measures the physical property. For example, the first sensor 52 sends a drive signal to the developer to measure the amount of electrolyte in the developer, and the second sensor 53 sends an ultrasonic signal to the developer to measure the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity in the developer , The third sensor 54 may send a UV light source signal to the developer to measure the absorbance of the developer. More specifically, the first sensor 52 can measure the change in electrical conductivity due to the physical properties and the amount of the solute present in the alkaline developer, and is influenced by the concentration and intensity of ions. The concentration of the nonconductive material Changes are not easily detected. The second sensor 53 can measure the phenomenon that the ultrasonic signal interferes with the physical properties or the amount of the solute existing in the alkaline developer and the speed or the size thereof is changed. The second sensor 53 is greatly influenced by the size and density of the particles. The third sensor 54 can measure a phenomenon in which a light signal is interfered with due to physical properties or amount of a solute existing in an alkaline developing solution to cause a change in the reflection angle, intensity, amount of light, or spectroscopic phenomenon, It is influenced by the inherent physical and energy characteristics of the device. The materials of these light sources are various, and it is possible to cope with various kinds of light sources

The concentration measuring unit 55 of the developer concentration measuring and controlling apparatus 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention measures the electric conductivity data 52a of the developer measured by the sensor unit 51, the ultrasonic propagation velocity data 53a, Absorbance data 54a. The concentration measuring unit 55 measures the alkaline concentration, the carbonate concentration, and the PR concentration of the developer by multiple regression analysis of the inputted electric conductivity, the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity, and the absorbance data 52a, 53a and 54a.

The concentration measuring unit 55 obtains the line width change determination index Z that determines the amount of change in the line width of the photoresist pattern using the measured alkali concentration, carbonate concentration, and PR concentration.

The concentration measuring unit 55 can supply power to the first sensor 52, the second sensor 53 and the third sensor 54 of the sensor unit 51. [ Further, the sensor unit 51 controls the magnitude and waveform of the signal sent to the developer. This control is performed by transmitting control signals 52b, 53b, and 54b to the sensor unit 51. [

The concentration adjusting unit 56 of the developer concentration measuring apparatus 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention receives the line width change determination index Z 57 from the concentration measuring unit 55 and calculates the line width change determining index Z) is within a predetermined range, at least one of the alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration, and the PR concentration is adjusted.

The concentration measuring and adjusting device 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention receives the data 59 of the alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration, the PR concentration or the linewidth change determination index of the developer from the concentration measuring section 55, And a display unit 58 for displaying an image. The display unit 58 may be positioned between the density measuring unit 55 and the density adjusting unit 56. The display unit 58 can display the data 59 input from the density measuring unit 55. [ The data 59 inputted from the density measuring section 55, that is, the alkali concentration C1, the carbonate concentration C2 and the PR concentration C3 measured by the concentration measuring section 55 or the concentration measurement The line width change determination index Z obtained in the section 55 can be displayed. Therefore, the display unit 58 can inform the state of the developer by receiving and displaying the alkaline concentration, carbonate concentration, PR concentration, or linewidth change determination index (Z) of the developer.

3 is a graph showing the relationship between the electric conductivity, the ultrasonic propagation speed and the absorbance of a developer according to an embodiment of the present invention, the alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration, and the PR concentration of the developer.

Referring to FIG. 3, it can be seen that the electric conductivity, ultrasound propagation velocity and absorbance of the developer, the alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2), and the PR concentration (C3) match one by one.

3, when the electric conductivity, ultrasound propagation velocity and absorbance of the developer are determined to be specific values, the alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2), and the PR concentration (C3) are set to specific values. Therefore, the alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2), and the PR concentration (C3) can be obtained by performing multiple regression analysis on the data obtained by measuring the electrical conductivity, the ultrasonic wave propagation speed and the absorbance of the developer. Specifically, the concentration measuring unit 55 according to an embodiment of the present invention receives the electric conductivity, the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity, and the absorbance data measured by the sensor unit 51 and measures the measured electric conductivity, the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity and the absorbance data The predetermined relationship between the measured conductivity, the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity and the absorbance data and the carbonate concentration (C2) of the alkaline developing solution, and the measured electric conductivity, the ultrasonic propagation speed The alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2), and the PR concentration (C3) of the developer can be measured according to a predetermined relation between the rate and absorbance data and the PR concentration (C3) of the alkaline developing solution.

Specific methods for obtaining the alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2), and the PR concentration (C3) according to the embodiment of the present invention are as follows.

Hereinafter, the predetermined relationship between the electric conductivity of the alkaline developer, the ultrasonic propagation speed and the absorbance data and the alkali concentration (C1) in the concentration measuring unit 55 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the electric conductivity of the alkaline developer, A predetermined relationship between the velocity and the absorbance data and the predetermined relationship between the carbonate concentration (C2), the electric conductivity of the alkaline developer, the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity and the absorbance data and the PR concentration (C3) are determined in detail .

For example, when any one of the alkali component, the carbonate component and the PR component of the alkaline developer is referred to as a first component, the first to third physical property data measured by the sensor portion 51 and the predetermined concentration of the first component The predetermined relationship that is obtained in advance is obtained by measuring the first to third properties of the alkaline developing solution at a constant temperature containing only the first component at a predetermined concentration by the sensor section 51, The data can be obtained by matching a predetermined concentration of the first component. When the relationship between the first to third measured physical properties data and the predetermined concentration of the first component is determined, the first to third physical property data are measured and substituted into the predetermined relationship, The concentration of the component can be obtained.

When the predetermined concentration of the first component is obtained, the concentration of any one of the two components other than the above-mentioned first component among the alkaline component, carbonate component and PR component of the alkaline developer and the electric conductivity of the alkaline developer, The predetermined relationship that is obtained in advance with the absorbance data can be obtained as follows. For example, if any one of the other two components of the alkali component, the carbonate component and the PR component of the alkaline developer other than the first component is referred to as a second component, and the predetermined concentration of the first component matches the first property The predetermined relationship between the first to third physical data measured by the sensor unit 51 and the predetermined concentration of the second component at this time is the same as the first matching data, The first to third physical properties of the alkaline developer at a constant temperature containing only one component and the second component at a predetermined concentration are measured by the sensor section 51 and the first to third physical property data and the first And can be obtained by matching a predetermined value of the second component to the difference value with the matching data. When the relationship between the first to third measured physical properties data and the predetermined concentration of the second component is determined, the first to third physical property data are measured and substituted into the predetermined relationship, The concentration of the component can be obtained.

When the concentrations of the two components of the alkaline developer, the carbonate component and the PR component of the alkaline developer are obtained, the predetermined relationship between the concentration of the remaining component, that is, the third component, and the electric conductivity of the alkaline developer, the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity and the absorbance data Can be obtained as follows. The components other than the above-mentioned first component and the above-mentioned second component among the alkali component, carbonate component and PR component of the alkaline developer are referred to as a third component, and the predetermined concentration of the first component and the second component is the first property, If the data of the third physical property is the second matching data, the predetermined relationship between the first to third physical property data measured by the sensor unit 51 and the predetermined concentration of the third component, The first to third properties of the alkaline developer at a constant temperature including the first component, the predetermined concentration of the second component and the predetermined concentration of the third component are measured by the sensor section 51, and the measured first property To the difference between the third physical property data and the second matching data, to match the predetermined concentration of the third component. When the relationship between the measured first to third measured data and the predetermined concentration of the third component is obtained, the first to third measured data are measured and substituted into the predetermined relationship, The concentration of the component can be obtained.

As described above, the electrical conductivity, the ultrasonic propagation speed and the absorbance of the alkaline developer at a constant temperature are measured using a sensor, and the relationship between the measured electric conductivity, the ultrasonic propagation speed and the absorbance data and the concentration of each solute in the alkaline developer is converted into a database It can be used in measurement algorithms.

Next, a method for determining the linewidth change determination index Z using the alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration, and the PR concentration of the developing solution will be described.

4 is a graph showing the relationship between the alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration and the PR concentration and the line width of the photoresist pattern.

Referring to FIG. 4, the line width of the photoresist pattern increases as the concentration of TMAH as the alkali component increases (100). On the other hand, as the concentration of carbonate and the concentration of PR increases, the line width of the photoresist pattern decreases (200, 300). That is, among the three solutes dissolved in the developer, the alkali component is a solute for increasing the developing ability, and the carbonate and PR are solutes for reducing the developing ability of the developer.

In order to reuse a certain developer, the amount of change of the line width of the photoresist pattern by the developer based on the target value of the line width determined by the mask on the substrate must be within a predetermined range. When an alkaline developer liquid is used to develop a substrate such as a semiconductor device, a liquid crystal display, or a print, the alkaline developer dissolves the photoresist (PR) on the substrate. Thus, the alkali concentration of the alkali developing solution used in the developing process is decreased, and the PR concentration is increased. Further, as time passes, the atmospheric carbon dioxide gas is absorbed into the developer, which increases the carbonate concentration of the developer. As the PR concentration and the carbonate concentration increase, the line width decreases as shown in Fig. When the line width is reduced, it is necessary to return to the line width before the reduction in order to reuse the developer. In order to return to the line width before the reduction, the alkali concentration should be increased.

Since the line width of the photoresist pattern changes according to the alkali concentration, carbonate concentration and PR concentration of the developer, it is necessary to accurately know the relationship between the linewidth of the photoresist pattern and the alkali concentration, carbonate concentration and PR concentration of the developer. It is possible to manufacture and use a developer having a line width of the photoresist pattern. That is, in order to reuse the developer, the difference between the line width of the photoresist pattern depending on the concentration of the solute dissolved in the developer and the target value of the line width determined by the mask on the substrate must be maintained within a predetermined range. And the relationship between the PR concentration and the variation amount of the line width of the photoresist pattern should be accurately predicted.

5 is a graph showing the relationship between the linewidth change determination index Z and the linewidth of the photoresist pattern of the concentration measuring and adjusting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, it can be seen that the linewidth change decision index Z is proportional to the line width of the photoresist pattern. That is, when the line-width change determination index increases, the line width of the photoresist pattern is formed to be larger than the target value, and when the line-width change determination index decreases, the line width of the photoresist pattern is formed smaller than the target value.

The concentration measuring and adjusting device 5 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a device for measuring and adjusting the density of the photoresist pattern using the alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration and the PR concentration to control the variation amount of the line width of the photoresist pattern to be a predetermined value or less The line width change determination index Z that determines the change amount of the line width can be obtained. The apparatus for measuring and adjusting the concentration of developer according to an embodiment of the present invention determines the amount of change in the line width of the photoresist pattern using the line width change determination index Z and adjusts the amount of change in the line width of the photoresist pattern Adjust the line width change decision index. The linewidth change determination index is determined by the alkaline concentration, the carbonate concentration and the PR concentration of the developer.

The relation between the linewidth change determination index Z obtained by the density measuring unit 55 according to an embodiment of the present invention and the alkali concentration, carbonate concentration, and PR concentration of the developer is expressed by Equation (1).

Here, Z is a line width change determination index, C1 is an alkali concentration, C2 is a carbonate concentration, C3 is a PR concentration, and A, B and C are coefficients of an alkali concentration, a carbonate concentration and a PR concentration, respectively. A, B and C can be constants determined by multiple regression analysis of the measured alkali concentration, carbonate concentration and PR concentration. When the relationship between the electrical conductivity of the developer, the ultrasonic wave propagation speed and the absorbance data and the alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration, and the PR concentration is determined, the electrical conductivity of the developer, the ultrasonic propagation speed and the absorbance are measured to determine the alkali concentration, The carbonate concentration and the PR concentration can be measured.

A method for obtaining the coefficient of the relational expression for obtaining the line width change determination index in the density measuring unit 55 according to the embodiment of the present invention is as follows.

First, the coefficient A of the alkali concentration (C1) can be obtained when the carbonate concentration (C2) and the PR concentration (C3) are zero. The coefficient B of the carbonate concentration (C2) can be obtained from the alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2) and A when the PR concentration (C3) is zero. Finally, the coefficient C of the PR concentration (C3) can be obtained from the alkali concentration (C1), the PR concentration (C3) and A when the carbonate concentration (C2) is zero.

As described above, by obtaining the coefficient of the relational expression between the line width change determination index Z and the alkali concentration C1, the carbonate concentration C2 and the PR concentration C, the line width change determination index Z and the alkali concentration C1), the carbonate concentration (C2), and the PR concentration (C).

Another method for determining the linewidth change determination index in the density measuring unit 55 is as follows.

First, the coefficient A of the alkali concentration (C1) can be obtained when the carbonate concentration (C2) and the PR concentration (C3) are zero. Next, the coefficient B of the carbonate concentration (C2) can be obtained from the alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2) and A when the PR concentration (C3) is zero. Finally, the coefficient C of the PR concentration (C3) can be obtained from the alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2), the PR concentration (C3), A and B. Further, in the method of obtaining the carbonate concentration (C2) and the PR concentration (C3) obtained after determining the alkali concentration (C1), the order of obtaining the carbonate concentration (C2) and the PR concentration (C3) may be different.

The method of obtaining the line width change determination index described above can more accurately determine the coefficient of the relational expression between the line width change determination index Z and the alkali concentration C1, the carbonate concentration C2, and the PR concentration C.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the concentration adjusting unit 56 receives the line width change determining index Z from the concentration measuring unit 55 and calculates the line width change determining index Z in accordance with the alkali concentration, Concentration and PR concentration of the sample.

Next, a method of controlling the variation amount of the line width of the photoresist pattern to be a predetermined value or less will be described using the line width variation determination index.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the line width change determination index is 0, the pattern on the substrate determined by the mask is formed by the line width of the photoresist pattern defined by the mask. However, if the alkaline concentration, the carbonate concentration, and the PR concentration of the developer are changed due to the reuse of the developer, the development accuracy of the developer is lowered. When the concentration of the solute in the developing solution is changed, the pattern on the substrate formed by the developing solution has line widths different from those of the photoresist pattern determined by the mask. Therefore, the concentration adjusting unit 56 of the concentration measuring and adjusting apparatus 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention can adjust the line width change determining index Z so that the variation amount of the line width of the photoresist pattern formed on the substrate becomes a predetermined value or less, Is within a predetermined range.

Specifically, when the line width change determination index Z is managed in the range of -0.1 to 0.1 when the management range in which the line width change determination index Z is managed is -0.1 to 0.1, the line width of the photoresist pattern is The amount of change of the photoresist pattern determined by the line width is controlled within a predetermined line width management range which is equal to or less than a predetermined value. If the line width change determination index Z according to the alkaline concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2), and the PR concentration (C3) of the developer is 0.5, which is larger than 0.1, which is the upper limit value of the line width change decision index management range, The line width of the photoresist pattern becomes M, and the amount of change of the line width of the photoresist pattern becomes equal to or larger than a predetermined range, thereby deviating from the line width management range. Therefore, in this case, the concentration adjusting section 56 adjusts the concentration of the alkali developing solution so as to reduce the line width change determining index Z such that the line width change determining index Z is 0.1 or less. That is, the concentration adjusting unit 56 transmits the concentration adjusting signal 70 for performing at least one of the decrease of the alkali concentration, the increase of the carbonate concentration, and the increase of the PR concentration to the manufacturing tank 10, Respectively. When the line width change decision index is smaller than -0.1, the line width of the photoresist pattern becomes N, and the change amount of the line width of the photoresist pattern becomes a predetermined range or more, and the line is out of the management range. Therefore, in this case, the concentration adjusting unit 56 adjusts the concentration of the alkaline developer in order to increase the line width change determination index Z such that the line width change determination index Z becomes -0.1 or more. That is, the concentration adjusting unit 56 transfers the concentration adjusting signal 70, which performs at least one of the increase of the alkali concentration, the decrease of the carbonate concentration, and the decrease of the PR concentration, to the manufacturing tank 10, Respectively.

5, the management range of the line width variation determination index is set to -0.1 to 0.1. However, the line width variation determination index Z is managed within a range in which the line width of the photoresist pattern is allowed to change, ≪ / RTI >

As described above, the line width of the photoresist pattern is proportional to the alkali concentration of the developer, and is inversely proportional to the carbonate concentration and the PR concentration. Therefore, if the linewidth change determination index is larger than a predetermined range, that is, the upper limit value of the linewidth variation determination index management range, the concentration adjusting unit 56 adjusts the density to perform at least any one of the decrease of the alkali concentration, The adjustment signal 70 may be transmitted to the manufacturing tank 10 to control the line width change decision index to fall within a predetermined range. Preferably, it is preferable to adjust the linewidth change decision index by adjusting the alkali concentration easily compared with the control of the carbonate concentration and the PR concentration. For example, if the linewidth change determination index is larger than the upper limit value of the management range, the linewidth change determination index can be reduced by supplying dilution water into the manufacturing tank 10. Conversely, when the linewidth change determination index is smaller than a predetermined range, that is, lower than the lower limit value of the linewidth variation determination index management range, the concentration adjustment signal 70 that performs at least one of an increase in alkali concentration, a decrease in carbonate concentration, It is possible to control the line width variation decision index to be within a predetermined range. Preferably, it is preferable to adjust the linewidth change decision index by adjusting the alkali concentration easily compared with the control of the carbonate concentration and the PR concentration. For example, an alkali component may be supplied to the production tank 10 to increase the line width change determination index. Therefore, the concentration of the developer can be maintained within a predetermined range by controlling the alkaline concentration, the carbonate concentration, and the PR concentration of the developer according to the line width change determination index.

The concentration measuring and adjusting device 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention can measure the alkaline concentration, the carbonate concentration, and the PR concentration of the developer in real time. That is, the sensor unit 51 can measure the alkaline concentration, the carbonate concentration, and the PR concentration of the developer in real time, and the change amount of the line width of the photoresist pattern using the alkali concentration, carbonate concentration, . By controlling the change amount of the line width of the photoresist pattern in real time, the developing ability of the developer can be maintained in real time within a certain level range.

In the present invention, in addition to tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH), in addition to tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH), an inorganic alkali aqueous solution of inorganic alkali such as potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, sodium phosphate, sodium silicate and the like, or an inorganic alkali aqueous solution of trimethylmonoethanolammonium And an aqueous solution of an organic alkali such as hydroxide (corn). When TMAH is used as the developer, the TMAH concentration (alkali concentration) can be set to, for example, 2.38%. The developing solution may contain conventional known additives such as nonionic surfactants and fluorinated surfactants.

Further, the carbonate component of the developer may be present in the developer in which carbon dioxide gas or the like in the air is dissolved in the developer.

The PR component of the developing solution may be present in the developing solution by dissolving the photoresist PR by the developing solution in the developing process using the developing solution.

As described above, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the three properties of the developer, that is, the electric conductivity, the ultrasonic wave propagation speed, the absorbance, the refractive index, the absorption rate of ultrasonic wave and the Raman spectrum are measured to determine the alkali concentration, The PR concentration is measured, and the line width change determination index for determining the line width of the photoresist pattern can be obtained using the measured alkali concentration, carbonate concentration, and PR concentration.

On the other hand, by using the concentration measuring and adjusting device of the developer as described above, the line width variation determining index for determining the line width of the photoresist pattern is controlled to fall within a predetermined range, so that the variation amount of the line width of the photoresist pattern is controlled can do.

The features, structures, effects and the like described in the embodiments are included in at least one embodiment of the present invention and are not necessarily limited to only one embodiment. Furthermore, the features, structures, effects and the like illustrated in the embodiments can be combined and modified by other persons skilled in the art to which the embodiments belong. Therefore, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to these combinations and modifications.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of illustration, It can be seen that various modifications and applications are possible. For example, each component specifically shown in the embodiments can be modified and implemented. It is to be understood that all changes and modifications that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

10: Manufacturing tank
20: developing device
30: Supply line
40: recovery line
50: Concentration measurement and control device
51:
52: first sensor
53: second sensor
54: Third sensor
55:
56:
58:
80: Concentration measuring device

Claims (10)

The alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2), and the PR concentration (C3) of the alkaline developer used in the development processing of the photoresist (PR) on the substrate were measured to determine the line width The concentration measurement and adjustment device controlling the change amount to be a predetermined value or less,
A sensor portion including at least three sensors each for measuring at least three physical properties of the first to third physical properties (n is an integer of 3 or more) of the alkaline developer;
And a controller for receiving at least three kinds of physical property data among the first to nth physical properties measured by the sensor unit and determining a predetermined relationship between the measured at least three physical property data and the alkali concentration of the alkaline developing liquid, A predetermined relationship between at least three measured physical property data and the carbonate concentration of the alkaline developer and a predetermined relationship between the measured at least three physical property data and the PR concentration of the alkaline developer, The alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration and the PR concentration of the alkaline developer are measured, and the concentration measurement (Z) for determining the line width change determination index (Z) proportional to the line width of the photoresist pattern using the measured alkali concentration, part; And
A concentration adjusting unit for inputting the line width change determining index Z from the concentration measuring unit and adjusting at least one of the alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration, and the PR concentration such that the line width change determining index Z is within a predetermined range,
Lt; / RTI >
When any one of the alkali component, the carbonate component and the PR component of the alkaline developer is referred to as a first component,
Wherein the predetermined relationship between the measured at least three kinds of physical property data and the predetermined concentration of the first component is determined by comparing the at least three physical properties of the alkaline developing solution at a constant temperature containing only the first component of the predetermined concentration A sensor unit which measures the at least three kinds of physical property data and a predetermined concentration of the first component,
Wherein at least one of the alkali component, the carbonate component and the PR component of the alkaline developer is any one of the other two components except for the first component, and the at least three properties of the first component, Assuming the first matching data,
The predetermined relationship between the measured at least three kinds of physical property data and the predetermined concentration of the second component is a predetermined relationship between the predetermined concentration of the first component and the predetermined concentration of the second component, Wherein the at least three physical properties are measured by the sensor unit and a predetermined concentration of the second component is matched with a difference value between the measured at least three physical property data and the first matching data,
A device for measuring and controlling the concentration of developer. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first to n-th physical properties are six physical properties,
Wherein the first property is an electric conductivity, the second property is an ultrasonic propagation velocity, the third property is an absorbance, the fourth property is a refractive index, the fifth property is an ultrasonic wave absorption rate, The spectrum,
A device for measuring and controlling the concentration of developer. The alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2), and the PR concentration (C3) of the alkaline developer used in the development processing of the photoresist (PR) on the substrate were measured to determine the line width The concentration measurement and adjustment device controlling the change amount to be a predetermined value or less,
A sensor unit including a first sensor for measuring a first property of the alkaline developer, a second sensor for measuring a second property of the alkaline developer, and a third sensor for measuring a third property of the alkaline developer;
And a controller for receiving the data of the first to third physical properties measured by the sensor unit and determining a predetermined relationship between the measured first to third physical property data and the alkali concentration of the alkaline developer, The predetermined relationship between the physical properties to the third physical property data and the carbonate concentration of the alkaline developer and the predetermined relationship between the measured first to third physical property data and the PR concentration of the alkaline developer, The alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration and the PR concentration of the alkaline developer are measured, and the concentration measurement (Z) for determining the line width change determination index (Z) proportional to the line width of the photoresist pattern using the measured alkali concentration, part; And
A concentration adjusting unit for inputting the line width change determining index Z from the concentration measuring unit and adjusting at least one of the alkali concentration, the carbonate concentration, and the PR concentration such that the line width change determining index Z is within a predetermined range,
Lt; / RTI >
When any one of the alkali component, the carbonate component and the PR component of the alkaline developer is referred to as a first component,
Wherein the predetermined relationship between the measured first to third physical property data and the predetermined concentration of the first component is determined based on a relationship between the first property to the third property of the alkaline developer, 3 physical property is measured by the sensor unit and the predetermined concentration of the first component is matched with the measured data of the first to third properties,
Wherein at least one of the alkali component, the carbonate component and the PR component of the alkaline developer other than the first component is referred to as a second component, and the first to third properties Is the first matching data,
Wherein the predetermined relationship between the measured first to third physical property data and the predetermined concentration of the second component is a predetermined relationship between the predetermined concentration of the first component and the predetermined concentration of the second component, The sensor unit measures the first through third properties of the developing solution and determines a predetermined concentration of the second component in the difference between the measured first through third properties data and the first matching data And
A device for measuring and controlling the concentration of developer. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the first property is an electric conductivity, the second property is an ultrasonic wave propagation velocity, and the third property is an absorbance.
A device for measuring and controlling the concentration of developer. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The predetermined relationship in which the line width change determination index (Z) is obtained is Z = A x C 1 + B x C 2 + C x C 3,
Wherein A, B and C are constants determined by multiple regression analysis of the alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2), and the PR concentration (C3)
A device for measuring and controlling the concentration of developer. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Wherein the concentration-
If the linewidth change determination index is larger than the upper limit value of the predetermined range, at least one of the decrease in the alkali concentration, the increase in the carbonate concentration, and the increase in the PR concentration is performed, The concentration of the carbonate is decreased, and the concentration of the PR is decreased.
A device for measuring and controlling the concentration of developer. 6. The method of claim 5,
The coefficient A of the alkali concentration (C1) is obtained when the carbonate concentration (C2) and the PR concentration (C3) are 0,
The coefficient B of the carbonate concentration (C2) is obtained from the alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2) and the coefficient A when the PR concentration (C3) is 0,
The coefficient C of the PR concentration (C3) is calculated from the alkali concentration (C1), the PR concentration (C3) and the coefficient A when the carbonate concentration (C2)
A device for measuring and controlling the concentration of developer. 6. The method of claim 5,
The coefficient A of the alkali concentration (C1) is obtained when the carbonate concentration (C2) and the PR concentration (C3) are 0,
The coefficient B of the carbonate concentration (C2) is obtained from the alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2) and the coefficient A when the PR concentration (C3) is 0,
The coefficient C of the PR concentration (C3) is calculated from the alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2), the PR concentration (C3)
A device for measuring and controlling the concentration of developer. 6. The method of claim 5,
The coefficient A of the alkali concentration (C1) is obtained when the carbonate concentration (C2) and the PR concentration (C3) are 0,
The coefficient C of the PR concentration (C3) is obtained from the alkali concentration (C1), the PR concentration (C3) and the coefficient A when the carbonate concentration (C2) is 0,
The coefficient B of the carbonate concentration (C2) is calculated from the alkali concentration (C1), the carbonate concentration (C2), the PR concentration (C3)
A device for measuring and controlling the concentration of developer. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
And a display unit for receiving and displaying the alkali concentration, carbonate concentration, PR concentration or line width change determination index (Z) from the concentration measuring unit.
A device for measuring and controlling the concentration of developer.

Images