KR20090124062A - Apparatus and method for processing a substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An apparatus and method for processing a substrate are provided to improve efficiency and reliability of the developing process by sensing the thickness variance of the photoresist film. CONSTITUTION: The develop unit(110) is proceed by the developing process of the photoresist film formed in the top of the substrate. While the photolithography process of the photoresist film operates, the sensor(121) senses the thickness of the photoresist film. The operation unit(122) computes the time to be required to the developing process according to the thickness variance of the photoresist film. The controller(123) controls the operation of the develop unit. The fixing part(124) resets the standards developing process time. In case the standards developing process time does not accord to development process time, the controller stops the operation of the develop unit.

Description

Apparatus and method for processing a substrate

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and method, and more particularly, to a substrate processing apparatus and method for processing a substrate on which a photoresist film is formed.

In general, semiconductor devices include a fabrication (fab) process for forming an electrical circuit on a silicon wafer used as a semiconductor substrate, and an electrical die sorting (EDS) process for inspecting electrical characteristics of the semiconductor devices formed in the fab process. And a package process for encapsulating and individualizing the semiconductor devices with an epoxy resin, respectively.

The fab process may include various unit processes, and among the unit processes, the photolithography process may include a photoresist pattern used in an etching process for forming a film formed on the silicon wafer into a pattern having electrical properties through a deposition process. To form on the film.

The photolithography process includes a photoresist coating process for forming a photoresist film on the wafer, volatilization of a solvent contained in the photoresist film, and a softening for solidification of the photoresist film. A baking process, an exposure process for transferring a photo mask pattern onto the photoresist film solidified through the soft baking process, and scattering of light irradiated onto the semiconductor substrate during the exposure process. A post exposure bake process to prevent a decrease in resolution, a development process for forming a photoresist pattern by partially removing the exposed photoresist film, and the developed photo And a hard bake process for strengthening the resist pattern.

The developing process is performed by providing a developing solution to the photoresist film according to preset reference developing process conditions. An operator periodically inspects the developed photoresist film to confirm that the developing process is normally performed. Therefore, it is impossible to find out the occurrence of the defect of the developing process in real time, and it takes a lot of time to confirm the defect of the developing process. In addition, the quality of the semiconductor device may be deteriorated because the developing process fails to select a poor substrate.

The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus capable of monitoring a developing process of a photoresist film.

The present invention provides a substrate processing method capable of monitoring a developing process of a photoresist film.

A substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a developing unit for performing a developing process of a photoresist film formed on a substrate and a sensing unit provided at one side of the developing unit and sensing a thickness of the photoresist film during the developing process of the photoresist film. The developing unit may calculate a time required for the developing process according to a change in the thickness of the photoresist film detected by the sensing unit, and the developing unit may be configured according to whether the developing process time calculated by the calculating unit matches the reference developing process time. It may include a monitoring unit having a control unit for controlling the operation.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the reference developing process time and the actual developing process time do not match, the controller stops the operation of the developing unit, and the monitoring unit is set to reset the reference shape process time. It may further include wealth.

When the development of the photoresist film is not completed within the reference development process time, the controller may maintain the operation of the developing unit until the development of the photoresist film is completed.

When the development of the photoresist film is completed before the reference development process time, the controller may immediately stop the operation of the developing unit.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the monitoring unit may further include a display unit for displaying the thickness of the photoresist film, the reference development process time and the development process time.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the monitoring unit may further include an alarm unit that generates an alarm according to a control signal of the controller when the reference developing process time and the actual developing process time do not match.

In the substrate treating method according to the present invention, the development process of the photoresist film formed on the substrate is performed, the thickness of the photoresist film is sensed while the development process of the photoresist film is performed, and the development is performed according to the thickness change of the photoresist film. The time required for the process may be calculated, and the developing process may be controlled according to whether the developing process time calculated by the calculating unit coincides with the reference developing process time.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the reference developing process time does not match the actual developing process time, the developing process may be stopped and the developing process may be controlled by resetting the reference developing process time.

When the development of the photoresist film is not completed within the reference development process time, the development process may be maintained until the development of the photoresist film is completed.

When the development of the photoresist film is completed before the reference development process time, the development process may be immediately stopped.

According to the present invention, during the development process, the thickness change of the photoresist film may be sensed to determine whether the development process is abnormal. When there is an abnormality in the developing process, the developing process may be stopped to prevent development failure of the photoresist film. Therefore, the efficiency and reliability of the development process can be improved.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail a substrate processing apparatus and method according to an embodiment of the present invention. As the inventive concept allows for various changes and numerous embodiments, particular embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to the specific disclosed form, it should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention. In describing the drawings, similar reference numerals are used for similar elements. In the accompanying drawings, the dimensions of the structures are shown in an enlarged scale than actual for clarity of the invention.

Terms such as first and second may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as the second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as the first component.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, the terms "comprise" or "have" are intended to indicate that there is a feature, number, step, action, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, and one or more other features. It is to be understood that the present invention does not exclude the possibility of the presence or the addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Terms such as those defined in the commonly used dictionaries should be construed as having meanings consistent with the meanings in the context of the related art and shall not be construed in ideal or excessively formal meanings unless expressly defined in this application. Do not.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a substrate processing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a developing unit 110 and a developing process condition setting unit 120.

The developing unit 110 develops the photoresist film 20 formed on the substrate 10 and includes a chuck 112 and a spray nozzle 114.

The chuck 112 supports and fixes the substrate 10 on which the photoresist film 20 is formed. Examples of the chuck 112 include an electrostatic chuck that fixes the substrate 10 by using electrostatic force, and a vacuum chuck that fixes the substrate 10 by using vacuum force.

In addition, the chuck 112 may be rotated by a driving force of a rotation driver (not shown).

The spray nozzle 114 is disposed on the chuck 112, and sprays the developer 30 onto the substrate 10 fixed to the chuck 112. The developer 30 develops the photoresist film 20. For example, the developer 30 may selectively develop portions exposed in the photoresist film 20. As another example, the developer 30 may selectively develop unexposed portions of the photoresist film 20.

The developing process condition setting unit 120 is for setting the process conditions of the developing unit 110, and includes a sensing unit 121, a calculating unit 122, a control unit 123, a setting unit 124, and a display unit 125. ) And an alarm unit 126.

The detector 121 is disposed on the chuck 112 of the developing unit 110. The detector 121 detects a thickness of the photoresist film 20. Therefore, the thickness change of the photoresist film 20 may be confirmed while the developing process is performed. Data about the thickness of the photoresist film 20 detected by the detector 121 is transmitted to the calculator 122.

The detector 121 is a light source for generating light for providing to the photoresist film 20, a light measuring unit for measuring the light reflected from the photoresist film 20, measured by the light measuring unit And a processor for detecting the thickness of the photoresist film 20 by analyzing the light signals.

The light source generates light, such as a laser beam, and preferably generates a red laser beam. The light passes through the cleaning liquid 30 and is provided to the photoresist film 20, and the light reflected from the photoresist film 20 is measured by the light measuring unit.

The light measuring unit measures an interference signal of light reflected from the photoresist film 20.

The processor may detect the thickness of the photoresist film 20 from the interference signal of the optical signal reflected from the photoresist film 20. For example, the reflected light may include a first reflected light reflected from the photoresist film 20 and a second reflected light reflected from the substrate 10, and the processor may include a phase of the first reflected light and the second reflected light. According to the difference, the thickness of the photoresist film 20 is detected.

The calculation unit 122 is connected to the detection unit 121 and uses the thickness data of the photoresist layer 20 transmitted from the detection unit 121 to determine a development process time of the photoresist layer 20. Calculate For example, the calculator 122 may calculate the time required for the development of the photoresist film 20 using the start time of the development process of the photoresist film 20 and the time of the development end point. The calculation unit 122 transmits the calculation result to the control unit 123.

The controller 123 is connected to the calculator 122. The controller 123 controls the operation of the developing unit 110 according to whether the developing process time calculated by the calculating unit 122 coincides with a preset reference developing process time.

When the reference developing process time and the actual developing process time coincide, it may be determined that the developing process performed in the developing unit 110 is normal. Therefore, the controller 123 controls the developing unit 110 to continue the developing process.

When the reference developing process time does not coincide with the actual developing process time, it may be determined that there is an abnormality in the developing process performed by the developing unit 110. Therefore, the controller 123 controls the developing unit 110 to stop the developing process.

For example, when the development of the photoresist film 20 is not completed within the reference development process time, the controller 123 does not immediately stop the development process, and the development of the photoresist film 10 is not completed. The operation of the developing unit 110 is maintained until completion, and when the development of the photoresist film 10 is completed, the operation of the developing unit 110 is stopped.

As another example, when development of the photoresist film 20 is completed before the reference development process time, the controller 123 immediately stops the operation of the developing unit 110.

The setting unit 124 is connected to the control unit 123, and if the reference development process time and the actual development process time do not match, the reference development process time is reset according to the control of the controller 123. The reset reference process time may be the actual development process time.

The display unit 125 is connected to the control unit 123 and displays data detected by the detection unit 122 according to a control signal of the control unit 123. For example, the display unit 125 may display the thickness of the photoresist film 20, the reference development process time, and the development process progress time of the photoresist film 20.

The alarm unit 126 is connected to the control unit 123. When the reference developing process time and the actual developing process time do not coincide with each other, the alarm unit 126 generates an alarm according to a control signal of the controller 123.

The substrate processing apparatus 100 determines whether the development process is normal in consideration of a correlation between the time required for the development process of the photoresist film 20 and the reference development process time, and the development unit 110. To control the operation. Therefore, defective development process of the photoresist film 20 can be prevented, and the reliability of the development process can be improved.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a substrate processing apparatus 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the substrate processing apparatus 200 includes a developing unit 210 and a developing process condition setting unit 220.

The developing unit 210 develops the photoresist film 20 formed on the substrate 10, and includes a container 212 and a transfer arm 214.

The container 212 is opened upward, and accommodates the developer 30 for developing the substrate 10 therein. The developer 30 develops the photoresist film 20.

The transfer arm 214 is provided to be adjacent to the container 212, and grips one side of the substrate 20. The transfer arm 214 transfers the substrate 10 so that the substrate 10 is immersed in the developing solution 30, or transfers the completed substrate 10 to the outside of the cleaning solution 30.

The developing process condition setting unit 220 is for setting process conditions of the developing unit 210, and includes a sensing unit 221, a calculating unit 222, a control unit 223, a setting unit 224, and a display unit 225. ) And an alarm unit 226.

The detector 221, the calculator 222, and the controller 223 except that the detector 221 is disposed above the container 212 to detect a development end point of the photoresist film 20. ), The setting unit 224, the display unit 225, and the alarm unit 226 are described in detail with reference to FIG. 1, the sensing unit 121, the calculating unit 122, the control unit 123, the setting unit 124, and the display unit ( 125 and the alarm unit 126 are substantially the same.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a developing process condition setting method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the developing process condition setting method will be described with reference to the substrate processing apparatus 100 illustrated in FIG. 1.

First, a developing process is performed by providing a developing solution 30 to the photoresist film 20 formed on the substrate 10 (S110).

For example, the chuck 112 rotates to fix the substrate 10. The spray nozzle 114 sprays the developing solution 30 toward the rotating substrate 10. The developer 30 develops the photoresist film 30.

As another example, after the transfer arm 214 grips the substrate 10, the substrate 10 is immersed in the developing solution 30 inside the container 212. The developer 30 develops the photoresist film 20.

The developing end point of the photoresist film 20 is detected (S120).

The detector 121 irradiates light toward the photoresist film 20, measures an interference signal of the light reflected from the photoresist film 20, and analyzes the interference signal of the measured light. 20) detect the thickness. The thickness data of the photoresist film 20 is transmitted to the calculator 122.

The development process time of the photoresist film 20 is calculated using the thickness data of the photoresist film 20 (S130).

Using the thickness data transmitted from the detector 121, the calculator 122 calculates a start time of a developing process of the photoresist film 20 and a time of the end point of development. The time required for developing the photoresist film 20 is calculated using the difference between the start time of the developing process and the time of the developing end point. Thereafter, the calculation unit 122 transmits the calculation result to the control unit 123.

The developing process is controlled according to whether the calculated developing process time matches the reference developing process time (S140).

When the reference developing process time and the actual developing process time coincide, it may be determined that the developing process performed in the developing unit 110 is normal. Therefore, the controller 123 controls the developing unit 110 to continue the developing process. Therefore, the developing process for the subsequent substrates 10 in the developing unit 110 may be performed.

When the reference developing process time does not coincide with the actual developing process time, it may be determined that there is an abnormality in the developing process performed by the developing unit 110. Therefore, the controller 123 controls the developing unit 110 to stop the developing process.

For example, when the development of the photoresist film 20 is not completed within the reference development process time, the controller 123 does not immediately stop the development process, and the development of the photoresist film 10 is not completed. The operation of the developing unit 110 is maintained until completion, and when the development of the photoresist film 10 is completed, the operation of the developing unit 110 is stopped.

As another example, when development of the photoresist film 20 is completed before the reference development process time, the controller 123 immediately stops the operation of the developing unit 110.

When the developing process is stopped, the setting unit 124 resets the reference developing process time according to the control signal of the controller 123. The reset reference process time may be the actual development process time.

The data detected by the detector 122 is displayed on the display unit 125 according to the control signal of the controller 123. For example, the display unit 125 may display the thickness of the photoresist film 20, the reference development process time, and the development process progress time of the photoresist film 20.

When the reference developing process time does not coincide with the actual developing process time, the alarm unit 126 generates an alarm according to a control signal of the controller 123. Therefore, the worker can confirm the abnormality of the said developing process.

Subsequently, it is determined whether the cause of the abnormality of the developing process is due to the setting of the reference developing process time or the change of other developing process conditions, thereby solving the cause. When the cause is solved, the controller 123 controls the developing unit 110 to perform a developing process on a subsequent substrate on which the photoresist film is formed.

As described above, according to the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to determine whether the development process is abnormal by detecting a change in the thickness of the photoresist film during the development process. When there is an abnormality in the developing process, the developing process may be stopped to prevent development failure of the photoresist film. Therefore, the efficiency and reliability of the development process can be improved.

While the foregoing has been described with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art will be able to variously modify and change the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims below. It will be appreciated.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

100: substrate processing apparatus 110: developing unit

112: chuck 114: injection nozzle

120: monitoring unit 121: detector

122: calculator 123: controller

124: setting unit 125: display unit

126: alarm unit 210: development unit

212 container 214 transfer arm

Claims (10)

A developing unit which performs a developing process of the photoresist film formed on the substrate; And A sensing unit provided at one side of the developing unit and sensing a thickness of the photoresist film while the developing process of the photoresist film is performed, and a time required for the developing process according to a change in thickness of the photoresist film detected by the sensing unit; And a monitoring unit having a calculating unit for calculating a value and a control unit for controlling an operation of the developing unit according to whether the developing process time calculated by the calculating unit matches the reference developing process time. The method of claim 1, wherein when the reference developing process time does not coincide with the actual developing process time, the controller stops the operation of the developing unit. The monitoring unit further comprises a setting unit for resetting the reference development process time. The substrate processing according to claim 2, wherein when the development of the photoresist film is not completed within the reference development process time, the controller maintains the operation of the developing unit until the development of the photoresist film is completed. Device. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein when the development of the photoresist film is completed before the reference development process time, the controller immediately stops the operation of the developing unit. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring unit, And a display unit for displaying a thickness of the photoresist film, a reference development process time, and a time required for the development process. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an alarm unit that generates an alarm according to a control signal of the controller when the reference developing process time does not coincide with the actual developing process time. Performing a developing process of a photoresist film formed on the substrate; Sensing the thickness of the photoresist film during the development process of the photoresist film; Calculating a time required for the developing process according to a change in thickness of the photoresist film; And And controlling the developing process according to whether or not the calculated developing process time coincides with a reference developing process time. The method of claim 7, wherein the controlling the developing process, Stopping the developing process if the reference developing process time and the actual developing process time do not coincide; And And resetting the reference development process time. The substrate processing method of claim 8, wherein if the development of the photoresist film is not completed within the reference development process time, the development process is maintained until the development of the photoresist film is completed. The substrate processing method of claim 8, wherein the developing process is immediately stopped when development of the photoresist film is completed before the reference developing process time.

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