KR102343638B1 - Apparatus and method for treating substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a method of processing a substrate. A method of processing a substrate, comprising: supplying a gas to a processing space provided with a substrate to process a substrate, wherein the gas includes a processing gas for processing the substrate and a carrier gas for carrying the processing gas, wherein the gas is disposed in the processing space The total amount of the processing gas used for processing the substrate may be adjusted by measuring the concentration of the gas while being supplied to the .

Description

Substrate processing apparatus and method {APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR TREATING SUBSTRATE}

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for processing a substrate, and more particularly, to a substrate processing apparatus and method for processing a substrate by supplying a gas to the substrate.

A photo-lithography process among semiconductor manufacturing processes is a process of forming a desired pattern on a wafer. The photographic process is usually carried out in a spinner local facility that is connected to an exposure facility and continuously processes the coating process, exposure process, and development process. Such a spinner facility sequentially performs a hexamethyl disilazane (HMDS) treatment process, a coating process, a baking process, and a developing process. Here, the HMDS treatment process is a process of supplying HMDS onto the wafer before the photoresist is applied in order to increase the adhesion efficiency of the photoresist (PR).

1 is a view showing a general substrate processing apparatus for performing an HMDS processing process. The substrate processing apparatus has a plurality of processing units 2 , 3 , 4 , a tank 6 , a nitrogen gas supply line 7 , and an HMDS gas supply line 8 . The processing units 2 , 4 , 5 process the substrate. The tank 6 contains hexamethyldicyrein (HMDS) in liquid phase, and the nitrogen gas supply line 7 supplies nitrogen into the tank 6 to bubble hexamethyldicyrein (HMDS) in the liquid phase. do. Accordingly, the liquid hexamethyldicyrein (HMDS) in the tank 6 is vaporized. The vaporized hexamethyl dimethyl cyclone (HMDS) gas is supplied to the substrate through the HMDS gas supply line 8 connected to each of the processing units 2 , 3 , and 4 .

Conventionally, in order to control the amount of hexamethyldicyrein (HMDS) supplied to the substrate, the flow rate of nitrogen gas supplied into the tank 6 was controlled. That is, in the case of increasing the amount of hexamethyl dimethyl dimethyl cyclone (HMDS) supplied to the substrate, the hexamethyl dimethyl dimethyl cyclone (HMDS) is vaporized by increasing the supply flow rate per unit time of the nitrogen gas supplied to the tank 6 . increased the amount of In the case of reducing the amount of hexamethyldicyrene (HMDS) supplied to the substrate, the amount of hexamethyldicyrene (HMDS) that is vaporized by reducing the supply flow rate per unit time of nitrogen gas supplied to the tank 6 is reduced. decreased. However, since the amount of vaporized hexamethyldicyrein (HMDS) may vary depending on the pressure in the tank 6 or the amount of liquid hexamethyldicyrein (HMDS) contained in the tank 6, this control The method cannot precisely control the amount of hexamethyldicyrein (HMDS) supplied to the substrate.

In addition, the hexamethyldicyrene (HMDS) gas vaporized in the tank 6 is supplied to the substrate through the HMDS gas supply line 8 connected to the plurality of processing units 2 , 3 , and 4 , respectively. When hexamethyl dicyrene (HMDS) gas is supplied to any one (2) of the plurality of processing units, the pressure in the tank 6 is changed as the hexamethyl dicyrene (HMDS) gas is discharged from the tank 6 . Since the tank 6 is connected to a plurality of process processing units 2, 3, 4, the pressure change in the tank 6 is hexamethyldicyrein (HMDS) supplied to the remaining processing units 3 and 4 . also affects the amount of Accordingly, there is a problem in that the supply amount of hexamethyldicyrein (HMDS) supplied to the substrate cannot be controlled to a desired amount.

An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and method capable of accurately controlling the total amount of processing gas supplied to a substrate.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and method capable of efficiently performing a process of supplying and processing a substrate with a gas.

The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited thereto, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

The present invention provides a method of processing a substrate. A method of processing a substrate, comprising: supplying a gas to a processing space provided with a substrate to process a substrate, wherein the gas includes a processing gas for processing the substrate and a carrier gas for carrying the processing gas, wherein the gas is disposed in the processing space The total amount of the processing gas used for processing the substrate may be adjusted by measuring the concentration of the gas while being supplied to the .

In an embodiment, the processing of the substrate may be performed for a set time, and the supply flow rate of the gas per unit time may be changed such that a set amount of the process gas is supplied to the processing space for the set time.

According to an embodiment, the processing gas includes hexamethyldicyrene (HMDS), and the processing of the substrate is a process of hydrophobizing the substrate with hexamethyldicyrene (HMDS) before applying a photoresist to the substrate. can be

In an embodiment, the processing gas may be a gas vaporized from the processing liquid by supplying the carrier gas into a tank filled with the liquid processing liquid.

According to one embodiment, when the measured value of the concentration is smaller than the preset concentration, the supply flow rate of the gas per unit time is increased, and when the measured value of the concentration is greater than the preset concentration, the supply flow rate of the gas can be decreased. have.

According to an embodiment, the concentration of the gas may be measured based on transmittance of the laser by passing a laser through a flow path through which the gas supplied to the processing space flows.

The present invention also provides an apparatus for processing a substrate. An apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising: a process chamber having a processing space therein; a support unit for supporting a substrate in the processing space; a gas supply unit supplying gas to the processing space; a flow rate control unit for controlling a supply flow rate of the gas supplied to the processing space per unit time; a controller for controlling the flow rate control unit, wherein the gas includes a processing gas for processing a substrate and a carrier gas for carrying the processing gas, the flow control unit comprising: a densitometer for measuring a concentration of the gas; and a flow rate control member for controlling a supply flow rate of the gas per unit time, wherein the controller may control the flow rate control member based on the concentration of the gas measured by the densitometer.

According to an embodiment, the flow control member may be a digital static pressure gauge.

In an embodiment, the processing of the substrate is performed for a set time period, and the controller is configured to control the flow rate adjusting member so that the supply flow rate of the gas per unit time is such that a set amount of the process gas is supplied to the processing space for the set time period. can control

According to an embodiment, the processing gas includes hexamethyldicyrene (HMDS), and the processing of the substrate is a process of hydrophobizing the substrate with hexamethyldicyrene (HMDS) before applying a photoresist to the substrate. can be

In an embodiment, the controller controls the flow rate adjusting member to increase the supply flow rate of the process gas when the measured value of the concentration is less than a preset concentration, and the measured value of the concentration is higher than the preset concentration. When it is large, the flow rate adjusting member may be controlled to decrease the supply flow rate of the process gas.

According to an embodiment, the gas supply unit supplies the gas to the processing space and includes a gas supply line having a flow path through which the gas flows, wherein the densitometer is configured to irradiate a laser penetrating the flow path. a light emitting unit; It may include a light receiving unit for detecting the transmittance of the laser passing through the flow path.

According to an embodiment, the gas supply unit supplies the gas to the processing space and includes a gas supply line having a flow path through which the gas flows, wherein the flow rate control member applies pressure to the flow path to It may include a pressure member for changing the width of the flow path.

According to an embodiment, the controller controls the flow rate control member to narrow the width of the flow path when the measured value of the concentration measured by the densitometer is smaller than a set value, and measures the concentration measured by the densitometer When the value is greater than the set value, the flow rate control member may be controlled to widen the width of the flow path.

According to an embodiment, the densitometer and the flow rate control member may be installed in the gas supply line, and the densitometer may be installed upstream from the flow rate control member.

According to an embodiment, the gas supply unit may include: a tank having an internal space for accommodating the liquid treatment liquid and generating the treatment gas from the treatment liquid; The method may further include a carrier gas supply line for supplying a carrier gas to the tank, and the processing gas may be a gas supplied to the inner space and vaporized from the processing liquid.

The invention also provides a method of processing a substrate. In the method of processing a substrate, before applying the photoresist to the substrate, a gas for increasing the adhesion of the photoresist is supplied to a processing space provided with the substrate to treat the substrate, wherein the gas is vaporized by hexamethyl dimethyl cyclone (HMDMS) in the liquid phase. a process gas and a carrier gas, the concentration of the gas is measured while the gas is supplied to the processing space, and the supply flow rate of the gas per unit time is changed according to the measured value of the concentration to be supplied to the substrate The total amount of hexamethyldicyrein (HMDS) can be controlled.

In an embodiment, the processing of the substrate may be performed for a set time, and the supply flow rate of the processing gas per unit time may be changed such that a set amount of the processing gas is supplied to the processing space for the set time.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the total amount of the processing gas supplied to the substrate may be accurately adjusted.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a process of supplying a gas to the substrate for processing can be efficiently performed.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-described effects, and the effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs from the present specification and accompanying drawings.

1 is a view showing a general apparatus for performing an HMDS process
2 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a cross-sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus showing the application block or the developing block of FIG. 2 .
4 is a plan view of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 5 is a view showing an example of a hand of the transport robot of FIG. 4 .
6 is a plan sectional view schematically illustrating an example of the heat treatment chamber of FIG. 4 .
FIG. 7 is a front cross-sectional view of the heat treatment chamber of FIG. 6 .
8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a substrate processing apparatus provided in the heating unit of FIG. 7 .
FIG. 9 is a view showing the densitometer of FIG. 8 .
10 is a flowchart illustrating a substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a view showing an embodiment of performing the concentration measurement step of FIG.
FIG. 12 is a view showing another embodiment of performing the concentration measurement step of FIG. 10 .

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can easily implement them. However, the present invention may be implemented in several different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In addition, in describing a preferred embodiment of the present invention in detail, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings for parts having similar functions and functions.

"Including" a certain component means that other components may be further included, rather than excluding other components, unless otherwise stated. Specifically, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, action, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification is present, and includes one or more other features or It should be understood that the existence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof does not preclude the possibility of addition.

The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, shapes and sizes of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clearer description.

2 is a perspective view schematically showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus showing the application block or the developing block of FIG. 2 , and FIG. 4 is the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 2 is a plan view of

2 to 4 , the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes an index module 20 , a processing module 30 , and an interface module 40 . According to an embodiment, the index module 20 , the processing module 30 , and the interface module 40 are sequentially arranged in a line. Hereinafter, the direction in which the index module 20, the processing module 30, and the interface module 40 are arranged is referred to as an X-axis direction 12, and a direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction 12 when viewed from the top The Y-axis direction 14 is called, and the direction perpendicular to both the X-axis direction 12 and the Y-axis direction 14 is called the Z-axis direction 16 .

The index module 20 transfers the substrate W from the container 10 in which the substrate W is accommodated to the processing module 30 , and accommodates the processed substrate W in the container 10 . The longitudinal direction of the index module 20 is provided in the Y-axis direction 14 . The index module 20 has a load port 22 and an index frame 24 . With reference to the index frame 24 , the load port 22 is located on the opposite side of the processing module 30 . The container 10 in which the substrates W are accommodated is placed on the load port 22 . A plurality of load ports 22 may be provided, and the plurality of load ports 22 may be disposed along the Y-axis direction 14 .

As the container 10, a closed container 10 such as a Front Open Unified Pod (FOUP) may be used. Vessel 10 may be placed in loadport 22 by an operator or by a transfer means (not shown) such as an Overhead Transfer, Overhead Conveyor, or Automatic GuidedVehicle. have.

An index robot 2200 is provided inside the index frame 24 . A guide rail 2300 having a longitudinal direction in the Y-axis direction 14 is provided in the index frame 24 , and the index robot 2200 may be provided to be movable on the guide rail 2300 . The index robot 2200 includes a hand 2220 on which the substrate W is placed, and the hand 2220 moves forward and backward, rotates about the Z-axis direction 16, and performs the Z-axis direction 16. It may be provided to be movable along with it.

The processing module 30 performs a coating process and a developing process on the substrate W. The processing module 30 has an application block 30a and a developing block 30b. The coating block 30a performs a coating process on the substrate W, and the developing block 30b performs a development process on the substrate W. A plurality of application blocks 30a are provided, and they are provided to be stacked on each other. A plurality of developing blocks 30b are provided, and the developing blocks 30b are provided to be stacked on each other. According to the embodiment of Fig. 3, two application blocks 30a are provided, and two development blocks 30b are provided. The application blocks 30a may be disposed below the developing blocks 30b. According to an example, the two application blocks 30a may perform the same process as each other, and may be provided in the same structure. In addition, the two developing blocks 30b may perform the same process as each other, and may be provided in the same structure.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the application block 30a includes a heat treatment chamber 3200 , a transfer chamber 3400 , a liquid processing chamber 3600 , and a buffer chamber 3800 . The heat treatment chamber 3200 performs a heat treatment process on the substrate W. The heat treatment process may include a cooling process and a heating process. The liquid processing chamber 3600 supplies a liquid on the substrate W to form a liquid film. The liquid film may be a photoresist film or an anti-reflection film. The transfer chamber 3400 transfers the substrate W between the heat treatment chamber 3200 and the liquid treatment chamber 3600 in the application block 30a.

The transfer chamber 3400 is provided so that its longitudinal direction is parallel to the X-axis direction 12 . The transfer chamber 3400 is provided with a transfer unit 3420 . The transfer unit 3420 transfers a substrate between the heat treatment chamber 3200 , the liquid processing chamber 3600 , and the buffer chamber 3800 . According to an example, the transfer unit 3420 has a hand A on which the substrate W is placed, and the hand A moves forward and backward, rotates about the Z-axis direction 16 , and the Z-axis direction It may be provided movably along (16). A guide rail 3300 having a longitudinal direction parallel to the X-axis direction 12 is provided in the transfer chamber 3400 , and the transfer unit 3420 may be provided movably on the guide rail 3300 . .

FIG. 5 is a view showing an example of a hand of the transport robot of FIG. 4 . Referring to FIG. 6 , the hand A has a base 3428 and a support protrusion 3429 . The base 3428 may have an annular ring shape in which a portion of the circumference is bent. The base 3428 has an inner diameter greater than the diameter of the substrate W. As shown in FIG. A support protrusion 3429 extends inwardly from the base 3428 . A plurality of support protrusions 3429 are provided, and support an edge region of the substrate W. As shown in FIG. According to an example, four support protrusions 3429 may be provided at equal intervals.

Referring back to FIGS. 3 and 4 , a plurality of heat treatment chambers 3200 are provided. The heat treatment chambers 3200 are arranged in a row along the first direction 12 . The heat treatment chambers 3200 are located at one side of the transfer chamber 3400 .

6 is a plan sectional view schematically illustrating an example of the heat treatment chamber of FIG. 4 , and FIG. 7 is a front cross-sectional view of the heat treatment chamber of FIG. 6 . The heat treatment chamber 3200 includes a housing 3210 , a cooling unit 3220 , a heating unit 5000 , and a conveying plate 3240 .

The housing 3210 is provided in the shape of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. An inlet (not shown) through which the substrate W enters and exits is formed on the sidewall of the housing 3210 . The inlet may remain open. Optionally, a door (not shown) may be provided to open and close the inlet. A cooling unit 3220 , a heating unit 5000 , and a conveying plate 3240 are provided in the housing 3210 . The cooling unit 3220 and the heating unit 5000 are provided side by side along the Y-axis direction 14 . According to an example, the cooling unit 3220 may be located closer to the transfer chamber 3400 than the heating unit 5000 .

The cooling unit 3220 has a cooling plate 3222 . The cooling plate 3222 may have a generally circular shape when viewed from the top. A cooling member 3224 is provided on the cooling plate 3222 . According to an example, the cooling member 3224 is formed inside the cooling plate 3222 and may be provided as a flow path through which the cooling fluid flows.

The transfer plate 3240 is provided in a substantially disk shape, and has a diameter corresponding to that of the substrate W. As shown in FIG. A notch 3244 is formed at the edge of the conveying plate 3240 . The notch 3244 may have a shape corresponding to the protrusion 3429 formed on the hand A of the transfer robot 3420 described above. In addition, the notch 3244 is provided in a number corresponding to the protrusions 3429 formed on the hand A, and is formed at positions corresponding to the protrusions 3429 . When the upper and lower positions of the hand A and the carrier plate 3240 are changed in the position where the hand A and the carrier plate 3240 are vertically aligned, the transfer takes place The conveying plate 3240 is mounted on the guide rail 3249 , and is moved along the guide rail 3249 by the actuator 3246 . A plurality of slit-shaped guide grooves 3242 are provided in the carrying plate 3240 . The guide groove 3242 extends from the end of the carrying plate 3240 to the inside of the carrying plate 3240 . The guide grooves 3242 are provided along the Y-axis direction 14 in their longitudinal direction, and the guide grooves 3242 are spaced apart from each other along the X-axis direction 12 . The guide groove 3242 prevents the transfer plate 3240 and the lift pins from interfering with each other when the substrate W is transferred between the transfer plate 3240 and the heating unit 5000 .

The heating unit 5000 provided in the heat treatment chamber 3200 of some of the heat treatment chambers 3200 supplies gas while heating the substrate W to improve the adhesion of the photoresist PR to the substrate W. have. According to an example, the gas may be a hexamethyldisilane (HMDS) gas. Hereinafter, an apparatus for supplying a gas for improving adhesion of a photoresist to a substrate among the heating units 5000 provided in the heat treatment chamber 3200 will be described as an example.

8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a substrate processing apparatus provided in the heating unit of FIG. 7 . A substrate processing apparatus provided in the heating unit 5000 may process a substrate. Specifically, the substrate processing apparatus provided in the heating unit 5000 may perform a process of hydrophobizing the substrate with hexamethyldicyrein (HMDS) before applying a photoresist (PR) to the substrate.

Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 8 , the substrate processing apparatus provided to the heating unit 5000 includes a process chamber 5010 , a sealing member 5020 , a support unit 5030 , a gas supply unit 5050 , and a flow rate control unit ( 6000), an exhaust unit 5070, and a controller 5090.

The process chamber 5010 provides a processing space 5001 therein. The process chamber 5010 may be provided in a cylindrical shape. Alternatively, it may be provided in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The process chamber 5010 may include an upper chamber 5011 and a lower chamber 5013 . The upper chamber 5010 and the lower chamber 5013 may be combined with each other to have a processing space 5001 therein.

The upper chamber 5011 may be provided in a circular shape when viewed from above. The lower chamber 5013 may be located below the upper chamber 5011 . The lower chamber 5013 may be provided in a circular shape when viewed from above.

The actuator 5015 may be coupled to the upper chamber 5011 . The actuator 5015 may move the upper chamber 5011 up and down. The driver 5015 may open the interior of the process chamber 5010 by moving the upper chamber 5011 upward when the substrate W is loaded into the process chamber 5010 . The driver 5015 may seal the inside of the process chamber 5010 by bringing the upper part 5011 into contact with the lower chamber 5013 during the process of processing the substrate W. In this embodiment, the actuator 5015 is provided in connection with the upper chamber 5011 as an example, but unlike this, the actuator 5015 is connected to the lower chamber 5013 to raise and lower the lower chamber 5013. .

The sealing member 5020 seals the processing space 5001 from the outside. The sealing member 5020 is installed on a contact surface of the upper chamber 5011 and the lower chamber 5013 . For example, the sealing member 5020 may be installed on the contact surface of the lower chamber 5013 .

The support unit 5030 may support the substrate W. The support unit 5030 may support the substrate W in the processing space 5001 . The support unit 5030 may be provided in a circular shape when viewed from the top. The upper surface of the support unit 5030 may have a larger cross-sectional area than the substrate W. The support unit 5030 may be made of a material having good thermal conductivity. The support unit 5030 may be made of a material having excellent heat resistance.

The support unit 5030 may include a lift pin module 5032 for elevating the substrate W. The lift pin module 5032 receives the substrate W from the transfer means outside the process chamber 5010 and puts it down on the support unit 5030 , or lifts the substrate W to transfer the substrate W to the outside of the process chamber 5010 . can be transferred by means. According to an example, three lift pins of the lift pin module 5032 may be provided.

In addition, the support unit 5030 may include a heating member 5040 for heating the substrate W placed on the support unit 5030 . For example, the heating member 5040 may be located inside the support unit 5030 . For example, the heating member 5040 may serve as a heater. A plurality of heaters may be provided inside the support unit 5030 .

The gas supply unit 5050 may supply gas to the substrate W located in the processing space 5001 . The gas may include a process gas and a carrier gas.

The processing gas may include a gas for adhesion. For example, the processing gas may include hexamethyldisyrein (HMDS). The processing gas may change the property of the substrate W from hydrophilicity to hydrophobicity. That is, the processing gas supplied to the substrate may hydrophobize the substrate W before applying a photoresist (PR) to the substrate. The carrier gas may carry a process gas. The carrier gas may be provided as an inert gas. For example, the inert gas may be nitrogen gas.

The gas supply unit 5050 may include a gas supply pipe 5051 , a gas supply line 5053 , a tank 5054 , a processing liquid supply line 5055 , and a carrier gas supply line 5057 .

The gas supply pipe 5051 may be connected to the central region of the upper chamber 5011 . The gas supply pipe 5051 may supply the gas transferred from the gas supply line 5053 to the substrate W. A supply position of the gas supplied by the gas supply pipe 5051 may be located to face the central upper region of the substrate W. Referring to FIG.

The gas supply line 5053 may be connected to the tank 5054 . The gas supply line 5053 may deliver the process gas vaporized in the tank 5054 to the gas supply pipe 5051 . The gas supply line 5053 may have a flow path through which the gas transferred from the tank 5054 to the gas supply pipe 5051 therein. The flow path of the gas supply line 5053 may have a material through which a laser can pass. In addition, the flow path of the gas supply line 5053 may have a material whose width can be deformed by the transmitted pressure.

Tank 5054 has an interior space. A processing liquid supply line 5055 and a carrier gas supply line 5057 may be connected to the tank 5054 . The treatment liquid supply line 5055 supplies the treatment liquid to the inner space of the tank 5054 . The treatment solution may be a chemical solution that increases the adhesion of the photosensitive solution. For example, the treatment liquid may be liquid hexamethyldisyrein (HMDS). The carrier gas supply line 5057 supplies the carrier gas to the inner space of the tank 5054 . The carrier gas may be provided as an inert gas. For example, the inert gas may be nitrogen gas. The carrier gas may bubble the treatment liquid accommodated in the inner space. The bubbled treatment liquid may be vaporized or vaporized to become a treatment gas. The process gas may be carried by a carrier gas to the gas supply line 5053 .

The flow rate control unit 6000 may control the supply flow rate per unit time of the gas supplied to the processing space of the process chamber 5010 . The flow rate control unit 6000 may include a densitometer 6100 and a flow rate control member 6300 .

The densitometer 6100 may be installed in the gas supply line 5053 . The densitometer 6100 may be installed upstream from the flow rate control member 6300 installed in the gas supply line 5053 . The densitometer 6100 may measure the concentration of the gas flowing in the flow path of the gas supply line 5053 . For example, the densitometer 6100 may measure the concentration of the gas flowing in the flow path of the gas supply line 5053 . Here, the concentration of the gas may mean the concentration of the processing gas included in the gas.

FIG. 9 is a view showing the densitometer of FIG. 8 . Referring to FIG. 9 , the densitometer 6100 may include a light emitting unit 6110 and a light receiving unit 6120 . The light emitting unit 6110 may irradiate a laser beam passing through the flow path of the gas supply line 5053 . The light receiving unit 6120 may receive the laser that has passed through the flow path of the gas supply line 5053 . The light receiving unit 6120 may detect the transmittance of the laser passing through the flow path of the gas supply line 5053 . The densitometer 6100 may measure the concentration of the processing gas included in the gas based on the transmittance of the laser detected by the light receiving unit 6120 .

Referring back to FIG. 8 , the flow rate control member 6300 may be installed in the gas supply line 5053 . The flow rate control member 6300 may be installed downstream of the densitometer 6100 installed in the gas supply line 5053 . The flow rate control member 6300 may control the supply flow rate per unit time of the gas supplied to the processing space of the process chamber 5010 . For example, the flow rate control member 6300 may adjust the supply flow rate per unit time of the gas supplied to the processing space of the process chamber 5010 based on the gas concentration measured by the densitometer 6100 . In addition, the flow control member 6300 may be provided as a digital static pressure gauge. Accordingly, the digital static pressure gauge may directly receive the concentration measurement value of the gas measured by the densitometer 6100 . Accordingly, the supply flow rate per unit time of the gas directly supplied to the processing space of the process chamber 5010 may be adjusted according to the measurement value of the concentration of the processing gas in the gas.

The flow control member 6300 may include a pressure member. The pressure member may apply pressure to the flow path of the gas supply line 5053 to change the width of the flow path. When the width of the flow path of the gas supply line 5053 is changed, the supply flow rate per unit time of the gas flowing through the flow path may be changed.

The exhaust unit 5070 exhausts the processing space 5001 . The exhaust unit 5070 may include an upper exhaust line 5071 , a lower exhaust line 5073 , an integrated exhaust line 5075 , and a pressure reducing member 5077 .

The upper exhaust line 5071 may exhaust the processing space 5001 . The upper exhaust line 5071 may be provided on a sidewall of the process chamber 5010 . Accordingly, the upper exhaust line 5071 may laterally exhaust the interior of the processing space 5001 . The upper exhaust line 5071 may exhaust the processing space 5001 at a position higher than the lower exhaust line 5073 . The upper exhaust line 5071 may exhaust the processing space 5001 at a position around the upper surface of the support unit 5030 . For example, the upper exhaust line 5071 may exhaust the processing space 5001 at a position equal to or higher than the upper surface of the support unit 5030 . The upper exhaust line 5071 may be connected to the upper exhaust hole 5072 . The upper exhaust hole 5072 may be formed in the lower chamber 5013 . For example, the upper exhaust hole 5072 may be provided in a region where the upper chamber 5011 and the lower chamber 5013 contact each other. Also, the upper exhaust hole 5072 may be formed inside the sealing member 5020 with respect to the support unit 5030 . The upper exhaust hole 5072 may be provided in the upper chamber 5011 in a ring shape. Alternatively, the upper exhaust hole 5072 may be provided with a plurality of holes. The upper exhaust line 5071 may be connected to the upper exhaust hole 5072 to exhaust the processing space 5001 . The number of upper exhaust lines 5071 may correspond to the number of upper exhaust holes 5072 .

The lower exhaust line 5073 may exhaust the processing space 5001 . The lower exhaust line 5073 may be provided on a lower wall of the process chamber 5010 . Accordingly, the lower exhaust line 5073 may exhaust the interior of the processing space 5001 in a downward direction. The lower exhaust line 5073 may exhaust the interior of the processing space 5001 at a position lower than the upper exhaust line 5071 . For example, the lower exhaust line 5073 may exhaust the processing space 5001 at a position lower than the substrate W supported by the support unit 5030 . The lower exhaust line 5073 may be connected to the lower exhaust hole 5074 . The lower exhaust hole 5074 may be formed in the lower chamber 5013 . The lower exhaust hole 5074 may be located in the processing space 5001 . The lower exhaust hole 5074 may be located outside the support unit 5030 . A plurality of lower exhaust holes 5074 may be provided. The lower exhaust line 5073 may be provided in a number corresponding to the lower exhaust hole 5074 .

The integrated line 5075 is connected to the lower exhaust line 5073 and the upper exhaust line 5071, respectively. The integrated line 5075 is provided to the lower exhaust line 5073 and the upper exhaust line 5071 so that the exhaust is discharged to the outside.

The pressure reducing member 5077 provides pressure reduction when the processing space 5001 is exhausted. The pressure reducing member 5077 may be provided by being installed in the integrated line 5075 . In contrast to this, a plurality of pressure reducing members 5077 may be provided to be respectively installed in the lower exhaust line 5073 and the upper exhaust line 5071 . For example, the pressure reducing member 5077 may be provided as a pump. Alternatively, other types of devices known to provide reduced pressure may be provided.

The controller 5090 may control the flow rate control unit 6000 . The controller 5090 may control the flow rate control unit 6000 to adjust the supply flow rate of the gas supplied to the substrate W per unit time. For example, the controller 5090 may adjust the supply flow rate per unit time of the gas supplied to the substrate W based on the concentration of the gas measured by the densitometer 6100 . Also, the controller 5090 may control the flow rate control unit 6000 to perform a method of processing a substrate, which will be described below.

Hereinafter, a method of processing a substrate using the substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

10 is a flowchart illustrating a substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 10 , a method of processing a substrate may include a concentration measurement step ( S001 ) and a flow rate control step ( S002 ). The gas to be described below will be described as an example including a processing gas for processing a substrate and a carrier gas for transporting the processing gas. In addition, the concentration of the gas to be described below will be described with reference to the concentration of the processing gas included in the gas as an example.

In the concentration measurement step S001 , the concentration of the gas flowing in the flow path of the gas supply line 5053 may be measured. For example, the concentration measurement step S001 may measure the concentration of the gas while the gas including the processing gas and the carrier gas is supplied to the processing space.

The flow control step (S002) may be performed after the concentration measurement step (S001). The flow rate adjustment step S002 may change the supply flow rate per unit time of the gas supplied to the substrate. The flow rate adjustment step S002 may change the supply flow rate per unit time of the gas according to the concentration measurement value measured in the concentration measurement step S001 , thereby adjusting the total amount of the processing gas used for processing the substrate.

In addition, the supply flow rate per unit time of the gas adjusted in the flow control step S002 may be changed such that a set amount of the processing gas is supplied to the processing space of the process chamber 5010 during the time period for which the substrate is processed.

11 is a view showing an embodiment of performing the concentration measurement step of FIG. Referring to FIG. 11 , a gas including a processing gas G1 and a carrier gas G2 flows through a flow path of the gas supply line 5053 . When the concentration of the processing gas G1 in the gas flowing through the gas supply line 5053 is high, the transmittance of the laser irradiated to the gas supply line 5053 is low. That is, when the transmittance of the laser detected by the light receiving unit 6120 is low, it is determined that the concentration of the processing gas G1 is high. When the concentration measurement value of the gas measured by the densitometer 6100 is greater than the preset concentration, the pressure member 6310 of the flow rate control member 6300 reduces the width of the flow path of the gas supply line 5053 . Whether the pressure member reduces the width of the flow path of the gas supply line 5053 may vary depending on the concentration of the processing gas G1 included in the gas. For example, the flow path of the gas supply line 5053 may be changed so that the width of the flow path becomes narrow in proportion to the concentration of the processing gas G1 included in the gas.

FIG. 12 is a view showing another embodiment of performing the concentration measurement step of FIG. 10 . Referring to FIG. 12 , a gas including a processing gas G1 and a carrier gas G2 flows through a flow path of the gas supply line 5053 . When the concentration of the processing gas G1 in the gas flowing through the gas supply line 5053 is small, the transmittance of the laser irradiated to the gas supply line 5053 is high. That is, when the transmittance of the laser detected by the light receiving unit 6120 is high, it is determined that the concentration of the processing gas G1 is low. When the concentration measurement value of the gas measured by the densitometer 6100 is smaller than the preset concentration, the pressure member of the flow rate control member 6300 may increase the width of the flow path of the gas supply line 5053 . For example, the degree to which the pressure member increases the width of the channel of the gas supply line 5053 may increase the width of the channel according to the concentration of the processing gas G1 included in the gas. For example, the flow path of the gas supply line 5053 may be changed so that the width of the flow path increases in proportion to the concentration of the processing gas G1 included in the gas.

In the conventional substrate processing apparatus, it is difficult to control the amount of the processing gas supplied to the substrate. Specifically, in the related art, the amount of the processing gas supplied to the substrate is controlled by controlling the amount of vaporization or vaporization of the processing liquid by adjusting the supply flow rate per unit time of the carrier gas supplied into the tank. However, this method could not accurately control the amount of the processing gas supplied to the substrate because the degree of vaporization or vaporization of the processing liquid varies depending on the amount of the processing liquid accommodated in the tank or the pressure in the tank. Also, the conventional method cannot accurately measure the amount of processing gas supplied to the substrate.

However, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a densitometer 6100 installed outside the tank 5054 measures the concentration of the gas, and based on the concentration of the gas while being supplied to the substrate, the supply flow rate of the gas per unit time change the Accordingly, the total amount of the processing gas supplied to the substrate can be accurately controlled without being affected by the pressure in the tank 5054 or the amount of the processing liquid accommodated in the tank 5054 .

In addition, in the conventional substrate processing apparatus, a plurality of process processing units are connected to one tank. When gas is supplied to any one of the plurality of processing units, the pressure in the tank changes. Such a pressure change in the tank affects the supply of gas supplied to other process processing units among the plurality of processing units. Accordingly, it is impossible to accurately control the gas supplied to the processing unit, and consequently, the total amount of the processing gas supplied to the substrate cannot be accurately controlled.

However, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the densitometer 6100 installed outside the tank 5054 measures the concentration of the gas, and adjusts the supply flow rate per unit time of the gas discharged from the tank 5054 . Accordingly, since a plurality of processing units are connected to one tank 5054 , even when the pressure inside the tank 5054 changes, the total amount of processing gas supplied to the substrate can be accurately controlled regardless of the pressure change.

In addition, in general, the time for processing the substrate is set so that the substrate can be efficiently processed. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the processing of the substrate is performed for a set time, and the supply flow rate of the gas per unit time is changed so that a set amount of the process gas is supplied to the processing space for the set time. Accordingly, it is possible to accurately control the total amount of processing gas supplied to the substrate without changing the existing substrate processing time.

Referring back to FIGS. 4 and 5 , a plurality of buffer chambers 3800 are provided. Some of the buffer chambers 3800 are disposed between the index module 20 and the transfer chamber 3400 . Hereinafter, these buffer chambers will be referred to as a front buffer 3802 (front buffer). The front-end buffers 3802 are provided in plurality, and are positioned to be stacked on each other in the vertical direction. Another portion of the buffer chambers 3802 and 3804 is disposed between the transfer chamber 3400 and the interface module 40 hereinafter. These buffer chambers are referred to as rear buffer 3804 (rear buffer). The rear end buffers 3804 are provided in plurality, and are positioned to be stacked on each other in the vertical direction. Each of the front-end buffers 3802 and the back-end buffers 3804 temporarily stores a plurality of substrates W. As shown in FIG. The substrate W stored in the shear buffer 3802 is loaded or unloaded by the index robot 2200 and the transfer robot 3420 . The substrate W stored in the rear end buffer 3804 is carried in or carried out by the transfer robot 3420 and the first robot 4602 .

The developing block 30b has a heat treatment chamber 3200 , a transfer chamber 3400 , and a liquid treatment chamber 3600 . The heat treatment chamber 3200 , the transfer chamber 3400 , and the liquid treatment chamber 3600 of the developing block 30b are the heat treatment chamber 3200 , the transfer chamber 3400 , and the liquid treatment chamber 3600 of the application block 30a . ) and is provided in a structure and arrangement substantially similar to those of ), so a description thereof will be omitted. However, in the developing block 30b, all of the liquid processing chambers 3600 are provided as the developing chamber 3600 for processing the substrate by supplying a developer in the same manner.

The interface module 40 connects the processing module 30 to the external exposure apparatus 50 . The interface module 40 includes an interface frame 4100 , an additional process chamber 4200 , an interface buffer 4400 , and a transfer member 4600 .

A fan filter unit for forming a descending airflow therein may be provided at an upper end of the interface frame 4100 . The additional process chamber 4200 , the interface buffer 4400 , and the transfer member 4600 are disposed inside the interface frame 4100 . The additional process chamber 4200 may perform a predetermined additional process before the substrate W, which has been processed in the application block 30a, is loaded into the exposure apparatus 50 . Optionally, the additional process chamber 4200 may perform a predetermined additional process before the substrate W, which has been processed in the exposure apparatus 50 , is loaded into the developing block 30b. According to one example, the additional process is an edge exposure process of exposing the edge region of the substrate W, a top surface cleaning process of cleaning the upper surface of the substrate W, or a bottom surface cleaning process of cleaning the lower surface of the substrate W can A plurality of additional process chambers 4200 may be provided, and these may be provided to be stacked on each other. All of the additional process chambers 4200 may be provided to perform the same process. Optionally, some of the additional process chambers 4200 may be provided to perform different processes.

The interface buffer 4400 provides a space in which the substrate W transferred between the application block 30a, the additional process chamber 4200, the exposure apparatus 50, and the developing block 30b temporarily stays during the transfer. A plurality of interface buffers 4400 may be provided, and a plurality of interface buffers 4400 may be provided to be stacked on each other.

According to an example, the additional process chamber 4200 may be disposed on one side of the transfer chamber 3400 along the lengthwise extension line, and the interface buffer 4400 may be disposed on the other side thereof.

The transfer member 4600 transfers the substrate W between the application block 30a, the addition process chamber 4200, the exposure apparatus 50, and the developing block 30b. The transfer member 4600 may be provided as one or a plurality of robots. According to an example, the conveying member 4600 includes a first robot 4602 and a second robot 4606 . The first robot 4602 transfers the substrate W between the application block 30a, the additional process chamber 4200, and the interface buffer 4400, and the interface robot 4606 uses the interface buffer 4400 and the exposure apparatus ( 50), and the second robot 4604 may be provided to transfer the substrate W between the interface buffer 4400 and the developing block 30b.

The first robot 4602 and the second robot 4606 each include a hand on which the substrate W is placed, and the hand moves forward and backward, rotates about an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction 16, and Z It may be provided to be movable along the axial direction 16 .

The above-described example has been described in detail based on the substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described examples, and can be applied to any apparatus for processing a substrate.

In the above example, it has been described that the processing gas is HMDS gas, and substrate processing is a process of hydrophobizing the substrate before the photoresist application process. However, the process for treating the substrate is different from the above process, and the process gas may be another type of gas carried by the carrier gas. For example, the process of treating the substrate is a deposition process of forming a thin film on the substrate or an etching process of removing the film on the substrate, and the processing gas may be a deposition gas for forming a thin film or an etching gas for removing the thin film.

In the above-described example, the tank 5054 supplies gas to one process chamber 5010 as an example, but is not limited thereto. For example, the tank 5054 may be connected to a plurality of process chambers to supply gas to a process space of each process chamber.

The above detailed description is illustrative of the present invention. In addition, the above description shows and describes preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention can be used in various other combinations, modifications, and environments. That is, changes or modifications are possible within the scope of the concept of the invention disclosed herein, the scope equivalent to the written disclosure, and/or within the scope of skill or knowledge in the art. The written embodiment describes the best state for implementing the technical idea of the present invention, and various changes required in the specific application field and use of the present invention are possible. Accordingly, the detailed description of the present invention is not intended to limit the present invention to the disclosed embodiments. Also, the appended claims should be construed to include other embodiments.

Process Chamber: 5010
Sealing member: 5020
Support unit: 5030
Gas supply unit: 5050
Flow control unit: 6000
Exhaust unit: 5070
Controller: 5090

Claims (18)

A method of processing a substrate, comprising:
Process the substrate by supplying a gas to a processing space provided with the substrate,
wherein the gas comprises a process gas for treating the substrate and a carrier gas for carrying the process gas;
measuring the concentration of the gas while the gas is being supplied to the processing space;
adjusting the total amount of the processing gas used for processing the substrate by changing the supply flow rate per unit time of the gas according to the measured value of the concentration without changing the measured concentration of the gas;
The processing of the substrate is made for a set time,
The supply flow rate per unit time of the gas is changed such that a set amount of the process gas is supplied to the process space for the set time,
The process gas comprises hexamethyldicyrein (HMDS),
The substrate processing method is a substrate processing method in which the substrate is hydrophobized with the hexamethyldicyrein (HMDS) before applying a photoresist to the substrate. delete delete According to claim 1,
The processing gas is a gas vaporized from the processing liquid by supplying the carrier gas into a tank filled with a liquid processing liquid. 5. The method of claim 1 or 4,
When the measured value of the concentration is smaller than the preset concentration, increasing the supply flow rate per unit time of the gas,
A substrate processing method for reducing a supply flow rate of the gas when the measured value of the concentration is greater than a preset concentration. 5. The method of claim 1 or 4,
The measurement of the concentration of the gas,
A substrate processing method in which a laser is transmitted through a flow path through which the gas supplied to the processing space flows, and the measurement is performed based on the transmittance of the laser. An apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising:
a process chamber having a processing space therein;
a support unit for supporting a substrate in the processing space;
a gas supply unit supplying gas to the processing space;
a flow rate control unit for controlling a supply flow rate of the gas supplied to the processing space per unit time;
Including a controller for controlling the flow rate control unit,
wherein the gas comprises a process gas for treating the substrate and a carrier gas for carrying the process gas;
The flow control unit,
a densitometer for measuring the concentration of the gas;
A flow control member for adjusting the supply flow rate per unit time of the gas,
The controller is
controlling the flow rate adjusting member based on the concentration of the gas measured in a state where the concentration of the gas measured by the densitometer is not changed,
The processing of the substrate is made for a set time,
The controller is
The supply flow rate of the gas per unit time controls the flow rate adjusting member so that a set amount of the process gas is supplied to the process space for the set time,
The process gas comprises hexamethyldicyrein (HMDS),
The substrate processing apparatus is a substrate processing apparatus in which the substrate is hydrophobized with the hexamethyldicyrein (HMDS) before applying a photoresist to the substrate. 8. The method of claim 7,
The flow control member is a digital static pressure gauge. delete delete 9. The method according to claim 7 or 8,
The controller is
when the measured value of the concentration is smaller than a preset concentration, controlling the flow rate adjusting member to increase the supply flow rate of the process gas;
and controlling the flow rate adjusting member to decrease a supply flow rate of the processing gas when the measured value of the concentration is greater than a preset concentration. 9. The method according to claim 7 or 8,
The gas supply unit,
a gas supply line supplying the gas to the processing space and having a flow path through which the gas flows;
The densitometer is
a light emitting unit irradiating a laser penetrating the flow path;
and a light receiving unit sensing transmittance of the laser passing through the channel. 9. The method according to claim 7 or 8,
The gas supply unit,
a gas supply line supplying the gas to the processing space and having a flow path through which the gas flows;
The flow control member,
and a pressure member configured to apply pressure to the flow path to deform a width of the flow path. 14. The method of claim 13,
The controller is
When the measured value of the concentration measured by the densitometer is smaller than a set value, controlling the flow rate adjusting member to narrow the width of the flow path,
The substrate processing apparatus of controlling the flow rate control member to widen the width of the flow path when the measured value of the concentration measured by the densitometer is greater than a set value. 15. The method of claim 14,
The densitometer and the flow rate control member are installed in the gas supply line,
The densitometer is a substrate processing apparatus installed upstream of the flow rate control member. 16. The method of claim 15,
The gas supply unit,
a tank containing a liquid treatment liquid and having an inner space for generating the treatment gas from the treatment liquid;
Further comprising a carrier gas supply line for supplying the carrier gas to the tank,
The processing gas is a gas supplied to the inner space and vaporized in the processing liquid, the carrier gas being a substrate processing apparatus. A method of processing a substrate, comprising:
Before applying the photoresist to the substrate, a gas for increasing the adhesion of the photoresist is supplied to a processing space provided with the substrate to process the substrate,
The gas includes a process gas and a carrier gas in which liquid hexamethyl dimethyl cyclone (HMDS) is vaporized,
measuring the concentration of the gas while the gas is being supplied to the processing space;
Control the total amount of the hexamethyl dimethyl cyclone (HMDS) supplied to the substrate by changing the supply flow rate per unit time of the gas according to the measured value of the concentration without changing the measured concentration of the gas,
The processing of the substrate is made for a set time,
The supply flow rate of the processing gas per unit time is changed such that a predetermined amount of the processing gas is supplied to the processing space for the predetermined time period. delete

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