KR20120112165A - Load lock module, wafer processing system and wafer processig method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A load lock module, a wafer processing system, and a wafer processing method are provided to prevent damage to a wafer due to bending by detecting the bending of the wafer which is created by cooling the wafer. CONSTITUTION: Sensors(11a,11b) measure positions of a plurality of points on an outer circumference of a wafer(10). A center position calculation part calculates a center position of a circle formed based on the plurality of points. The distance calculation part calculates a distance between the calculated center position of the circle and a cooling part(12). A detection part detects the bending of the wafer after the wafer is cooled by the cooling part. A control part(6) directs the detection part to detect the bending of the wafer after cooling the wafer. [Reference numerals] (14) Vacuum pump; (15) On-off valve; (19) Feed pump; (6) Controller

Description

Load lock module, wafer processing system and wafer processing method {LOAD LOCK MODULE, WAFER PROCESSING SYSTEM AND WAFER PROCESSIG METHOD}

The present invention relates to a load lock module, a wafer processing system, and a wafer processing method capable of adjusting the pressure between a vacuum atmosphere and an atmospheric pressure atmosphere and cooling the wafer.

It is a typical top view which shows the conventional general wafer processing system. This wafer processing system includes a load lock module 1, a load port 2, a loader module 3, a transfer module 4, and a processing module 5.

When the wafer is brought in from the outside of the processing system, the wafer is placed in the load port in the state accommodated in the FOUP, and the load lock module 1 is loaded from the load port 2 by the arm 3d provided in the loader module 3. Is returned. Since the processing of the wafer is performed in a vacuum atmosphere, the inside of the loadlock module 1 is switched from atmospheric pressure to vacuum atmosphere, and then the wafer is processed by the arm 4d provided in the transfer module 4 to the processing module 5. ), And processing is performed. The wafer on which the processing has been performed is carried out of the processing system by a path opposite to that described above.

The processing of the wafer performed in the processing module 5 is performed at a high temperature of about 300 ° C to 500 ° C. Since the wafer has a property of oxidizing under high temperature atmospheric pressure, it is necessary to cool the processed wafer before switching the inside of the loadlock module 1 from the vacuum atmosphere to the atmospheric pressure atmosphere.

Therefore, the load lock module which has the cooling part which cools a wafer inside the load lock module is disclosed (refer patent document 1).

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-518674

The wafer may be warped by cooling. If warpage occurs in the wafer, the wafer may fall from the arm provided in the loader module 3 or the film applied to the wafer may be broken when the wafer is taken out of the load lock module 1, resulting in increased wafer production efficiency. Degrades. However, in the wafer processing system of Patent Document 1, the warpage of the wafer cannot be detected by the load lock module 1.

This invention is made | formed in view of such a situation, The load lock module which detects the curvature by cooling of a wafer, and can prevent the fall or damage of a wafer beforehand, The wafer processing system provided with this load lock module, This wafer An object of the present invention is to provide a processing method for a wafer to be performed in the processing system.

A loadlock module according to the present invention is a loadlock module having a cooling unit for cooling a wafer, comprising: a sensor for measuring positions of a plurality of points on an outer periphery of the wafer, and a circle defined by the plurality of points A center position calculator for calculating a center position of the center position; a distance calculator for calculating a distance between the calculated center position and a predetermined position on the cooling unit or the wafer; and the center position after cooling by the cooling unit; And a detection unit for detecting warpage of the wafer based on the distance.

According to the present invention, since the cooling portion can detect the warpage of the wafer generated by cooling the wafer, it is possible to prevent a problem that has conventionally arisen that the wafer falls or breaks upon transfer due to the warpage of the wafer.

The load lock module according to the present invention is characterized in that the cooling unit is configured to cool the wafer based on a measurement result of the detection unit.

According to the present invention, since the cooling portion can eliminate the warpage generated in the wafer by continuing the cooling, the production efficiency of the wafer can be improved.

In addition, the loadlock module according to the present invention is characterized in that the detection unit is configured to detect a deviation between the position of the wafer and the position where the wafer on the cooling unit should be placed.

According to the present invention, since the deviation between the position of the wafer and the position on which the wafer on the cooling unit should be placed can be detected, a problem that has conventionally arisen that the wafer falls or breaks upon transfer due to the wafer's detachment is not known. It can prevent.

The loadlock module according to the present invention further includes a table connected to the cooling unit for lifting and rotating the mounted wafer, wherein the detection unit acquires information regarding the peripheral shape of the wafer rotated by the table. Characterized in that.

According to the present invention, the center position and the notch position of the wafer 10 can be detected by rotating the wafer by the table.

A wafer processing system according to the present invention is a processing module for processing a wafer, a transfer module for carrying a wafer processed by the processing module, and the wafer according to the above-described invention in which the wafer is loaded by the transfer module. And a loadlock module.

According to the present invention, since the wafer lock processing system includes the load lock module in the present invention, the above-described effects in the load lock module can also be obtained in the wafer processing system.

A wafer processing system according to the present invention includes a module having an arm for placing a wafer and conveying it to the above-described loadlock module, a measuring unit for measuring the position of the mounted wafer on the module, and measuring the measuring unit. An arm position deviation calculation unit that calculates a deviation between the position of the placed wafer and a predetermined position on the arm, and a position where the arm moves when the wafer is conveyed is based on the deviation calculated by the arm position deviation calculation unit. It characterized in that it comprises a control unit for controlling by.

According to the present invention, since the deviation of the position and the direction of the wafer placed on the arm is calculated and the arm is controlled based on the deviation, the position can be properly corrected even when the deviation is large.

In the wafer processing system according to the present invention, the measuring unit is configured to measure the position of the mark provided at a position different from the center of the wafer, and is measured in the direction and the arm from the center of the wafer to the mark measured by the measuring unit. The arm direction deviation calculation part which calculates the deviation | deviation from a predetermined direction, and the rotating part provided on the said cooling part, and rotated the wafer mounted are further provided, The said control part sets the rotation angle of the said rotation part to the said arm direction deviation | deviation. The calculating unit is configured to control based on the deviation calculated.

According to the present invention, since the control unit calculates the deviation of the position direction of the wafer placed on the arm and controls the rotation unit based on the separation, the deviation of the direction along with the position can also be calculated and overlapped upon calculation of both. Can be done together.

A wafer processing method according to the present invention is a wafer processing method for a wafer processing system including a processing module for processing a wafer, a transfer module for transporting the wafer, and a load lock module for cooling the wafer. A processing step of processing a wafer in the processing module, a transfer step of transferring the wafer from the processing module to the load lock module in the transfer module, a cooling step of cooling the wafer in the load lock module, and And a detection step of detecting warpage of the wafer by calculating a distance between a center position of a circle defined by a plurality of points on the outer circumference of the wafer and a predetermined position on the cooling section or the wafer.

According to the present invention, since the cooling portion can detect the warpage of the wafer generated by cooling the wafer, it is possible to prevent a problem that has conventionally arisen that the wafer falls or breaks upon transfer due to the warpage of the wafer.

The processing method of the wafer which concerns on this invention is further provided with the 2nd cooling process which cools the said wafer based on the detection result of the said detection process.

According to the present invention, since the warpage generated in the wafer can be eliminated by the process of continuing cooling, the production efficiency of the wafer can be improved.

The processing method of the wafer according to the present invention is further provided with a step of detecting a deviation between the position of the wafer conveyed by the conveying step and the position where the wafer on the cooling unit should be placed.

According to the present invention, since the deviation between the position of the wafer and the position on which the wafer on the cooling unit should be placed can be detected, a problem that has conventionally arisen that the wafer falls or breaks upon transfer due to the wafer's detachment is not known. It can prevent.

According to the load lock module, the wafer processing system, and the wafer processing method of the present invention, since the warpage of the wafer caused by the load lock module cooling the semiconductor wafer can be detected, a warning is issued when warping is detected. The person who monitors the processing system can act appropriately, and it is possible to prevent a problem that has conventionally arisen that the wafer falls or breaks upon transfer due to warpage of the wafer.

1 is a schematic top view showing a wafer processing system in a first embodiment.
Fig. 2 is a schematic side sectional view showing the load lock module in the first embodiment.
3 is a schematic diagram showing an arrangement example of a line sensor.
Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing processing when the control section in the first embodiment detects warping of the wafer.
5 is a schematic top view of the positional relationship between the wafer and the light receiving portion.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing that the position of the outer circumference changes due to the warpage of the wafer.
7 is xy coordinates showing the virtual circle and the center position of the virtual circle obtained by the controller.
8 is a flowchart showing processing when the controller detects warping of the wafer in the second embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing processing when the controller detects deviation of the position of the wafer in the third embodiment.
Fig. 10 is a schematic side sectional view showing the load lock module in the fourth embodiment.
11 is a schematic top view showing a wafer processing system in a fifth embodiment.
12 is a schematic top view showing a wafer processing system in a sixth embodiment.
It is a typical top view which shows the conventional general wafer processing system.
14 is a schematic view of a loader module according to the seventh embodiment.
15 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the cancer is stretched and refracted.
16 is an explanatory diagram showing a straight line calculated by the least square method.
17 is a top view of the length and angle of the arm.
18 is a flowchart showing processing of the control unit in the seventh embodiment.

≪ Embodiment 1 >

The first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic top view showing a wafer processing system in the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing the load lock module 1 in the first embodiment.

When the wafer 10 is carried in from the outside of the processing system, the wafer 10 is placed on the load port 2 while being accommodated in the FOUP and is transferred from the load port 2 to the load lock module 1 by the loader module 3. [ Is returned. After switching the inside of the loadlock module 1 from atmospheric pressure to a vacuum atmosphere, the wafer is conveyed to the processing module 5 by the transfer module 4, and processing is performed. The wafer subjected to the processing is carried out of the processing system by a path opposite to that described above. Such a process is controlled by the control part 6 mentioned later.

The load lock module 1 of each module in a processing system is further demonstrated. The chamber 13 constituting the load lock module 1 is a rectangular parallelepiped sealed container. On the bottom wall inside the chamber 13, a cooling column 12 having a circular columnar shape and having a flat upper surface is provided. As an example of the size, when the diameter of the wafer 10 to be processed is 300 mm, the upper surface of the cooling unit 12 is about 350 mm in diameter. Moreover, the cooling part 12 is equipped with the cooling pipe 18 inside, and water circulates in the cooling pipe 18 by the feed water pump 19. FIG. The wafer 10 is cooled by placing the wafer 10 on the cooling unit 12.

The vacuum pump 14 provided outside the chamber 13 is connected to the inside of the chamber 13 by the exhaust pipe 16, and the opening / closing valve 15 is provided in the middle of the exhaust pipe 16.

One side wall of the chamber 13 is provided with a gate valve 17a for carrying in and out of the wafer 10. The gate valve 17a serves as an entrance and exit when the loader module 3 carries in and out the wafer 10 from the load port 2 at the time of opening. In addition, a gate valve 17b for carrying in and out of the wafer 10 is provided on the other sidewall of the chamber 13 facing one sidewall. The gate valve 17b becomes an entrance and exit when the transfer module 4 carries out the wafer 10 to and from the processing module 5 at the time of opening.

Although usually embedded in the cooling unit 12, a lift pin 20 is provided that extends vertically as directed by the control unit 6 and is configured to support the wafer 10 at its tip.

Next, the light emitting part 11a and the light receiving part 11b which comprise the line sensor provided in the chamber 13 are demonstrated. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an arrangement example of a line sensor. The light emitting part 11a is equipped with a light emitting element, and the light receiving part 11b is rectangular, and the length of the light receiving part 11b is about 100 mm, respectively.

The light receiving parts 11b, 11b, and 11b are tripled in length so that the longitudinal direction thereof becomes the radial direction of the upper surface of the cooling unit 12, and is disposed on the upper surface of the cooling unit 12 so that the upper surface of the cooling unit 12 is coincident with the surface. Buried The light receiving parts 11b, 11b, and 11b are provided at one end at a position away from the outer circumference of the upper surface of the cooling part 12 in the center direction of the cooling part 12. Therefore, when the wafer 10 is arranged such that the center of the wafer 10 and the center of the upper surface of the cooling unit 12 coincide with each other, the vicinity of the center of the longitudinal direction of the light receiving portion 11b overlaps with the point on the outer circumference of the wafer 10. do. The light emitting portions 11a, 11a, 11a are provided on the upper wall of the chamber 13 as just above each of the light receiving portions 11b, 11b, 11b. The light emitting parts 11a, 11a, 11a emit light according to the instructions of the controller 6 described later, and the light receiving parts 11b, 11b, 11b receive this light.

In the processing system in this embodiment, the wafers 10 are conveyed to each module 1 to 5, the gate valves for carrying in and out of the wafers 10 are opened and closed to maintain or open the pressure in the modules, and The control part 6 which instruct | indicates to cool the 10 and detects the curvature of the wafer 10 is provided.

The control unit 6 is installed in the loader module 3 when the wafer 10 is loaded into the load port 2 from the outside of the processing system, and the wafer 10 is provided by an arm 3d for conveying the wafer. Is taken out from the load port (2). When the wafer 10 is taken out from the load port 2 by the arm 3d, the gate valve 17a is opened to place the wafer 10 on the cooling unit 12. When the wafer 10 is placed, the gate valve 17a is closed, while the vacuum pump 14 is operated and the opening / closing valve 15 is opened to exhaust the inside of the chamber 13 through the exhaust pipe 16. It is set as a vacuum atmosphere. When the inside of the chamber 13 is made into a vacuum atmosphere, the gate valve 17b and the gate valve 5c, which is the carrying in and out of the wafer 10 in the transfer module 4, which are sealed containers, are opened, and are installed in the transfer module 4, The wafer 10 is carried out to the processing module 5 which is a sealed container by an arm 4d for conveying the wafer 10.

The transfer module 4 and the processing module 5 include a vacuum pump (not shown) outside the module to exhaust the inside of the module, and always maintain a vacuum atmosphere.

The controller 6 causes the gate valve 17b to close when the wafer 10 is unloaded from the load lock module 1 by the arm 4d. On the other hand, the gate valve 5c of the processing module 5 is opened, and the wafer 4 is placed at a suitable place in the processing module 5 by the arm 4d. The controller 6 closes the gate valve 5c and causes the processing module 5 to process the wafer 10. When the processing of the wafer 10 is completed, the gate valve 5c is opened, and the wafer 10 is carried out from the processing module 5 by the arm 4d. On the other hand, the gate valve 17b is opened and the wafer 10 is placed on the cooling unit 12 by the arm 4d.

The controller 6 cools the wafer 10 for a predetermined time while placing the wafer 10 to close the gate valve 17b to switch the inside of the chamber 13 from a vacuum atmosphere to an atmospheric atmosphere. After a certain period of time, the wafer 10 is lifted from the upper surface of the cooling unit 12 by the lift pins 20 to emit light to the light emitting unit 11a, and detection of warping of the wafer 10 described later is started. The lift pins 20 are usually embedded in the cooling unit 12, but are configured to extend vertically in accordance with the instructions of the control unit 6. When the warping is finished, the gate valve 17a is opened to carry the wafer 10 to the load port 2 by the arm 3d.

Next, detection of the warpage of the wafer 10 performed by the control unit 6 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing when the control section 6 detects warpage of the wafer 10 in the first embodiment. In addition, the position before cooling the wafer 10 in this embodiment is a position where the center of the wafer 10 and the center of the cooling part 12 correspond.

The control part 6 mounts the wafer 10 on the lift pin 20 on the cooling part 12, and starts cooling the wafer 10 (step S11). The wafer 10 is lifted from the upper surface of the cooling unit 12 by the lift pin 20 to finish cooling for a predetermined time (step S12). The control unit 6 emits the light emitting units 11a, 11a, 11a while supporting the wafer 10 (step S13).

The control part 6 acquires the information of how much light the light emission part 11a, 11a, 11a received by the light receiving part 11b, 11b, 11b was received (step S14).

The control part 6 is based on the light quantity received by the light receiving parts 11b, 11b, and 11b, and the position where the light-receiving parts 11b, 11b, and 11b are installed, and the three points which the outer periphery of the wafer 10 when viewed from directly above are overlapped. Is measured (step S15).

The calculation method of the position of the three points which overlap with the location where the light receiving parts 11b, 11b, 11b were installed, and the outer periphery of the wafer 10 when seen from directly above is demonstrated. 5 is a schematic top view showing the positional relationship between the wafer 10 and the light receiving portions 11b, 11b, 11b.

The control part 6 assumes the center position of the upper surface of the cooling part 12 as an origin, and assumes the xy coordinate system which made the longitudinal direction of one light receiving part 11b coincide with the y-axis, and performs the following calculation. The distance between the origin and the end closer to the origin of the light receiving portion 11b is α, and the length of the light receiving portion 11b in the longitudinal direction is β. In the control part 6, the position information, the distance (alpha), and the length (beta) of the center of the upper surface of the cooling part 12 which are an origin are preset. From the positional relationship between the wafer 10 and the light receiving portion 11b in FIG. 5, a part of the light receiving portion 11b is blocked by the wafer 10 so that the light emitted by the light emitting portion 11a cannot receive light.

It is assumed that the light receiving portion 11b can receive the light of the light amount L from the light emitted by the light emitting portion 11a unless it is shielded. In this case, when the light receiving portion 11b receives light of (1-m ₁ ) L, the portion of the length m ₁ β in the longitudinal direction of the light receiving portion 11b is shielded by the wafer 10. At this time, the position where the location where the light receiving portion 11b is installed and the outer circumference of the wafer 10 when viewed from directly above are represented by equation (1).

As described above, the light receiving parts 11b, 11b, 11b are tripled so that the longitudinal direction is the radial direction of the upper surface of the cooling part 12, so that when one longitudinal direction of the light receiving part 11b coincides with the y-axis direction, The other light receiving portion 11b is in a direction in which the longitudinal direction is rotated by 120 ° in the counterclockwise direction in the positive direction of the y-axis. In addition, the other light receiving portion 11b is in a direction in which the longitudinal direction is rotated by 120 ° in the positive direction of the y-axis.

Then, when the other light receiving portions 11b and 11b receive (1-m ₂ ) L and (1-m ₃ ) L, respectively, the location where the light receiving portion 11b is installed and the outer circumference of the wafer 10 are superimposed when viewed from above. The position of the point to be represented is represented by equations (2) and (3), respectively.

Moreover, the control part 6 calculates the center position of the virtual circle which passes three points calculated | required by Formula (1)-Formula (3) (step S16). The control unit 6 can calculate the coordinates (x ₀ , y ₀ ) of the center position of the virtual circle and the radius r of the virtual circle defined from the following equations (4) to (6).

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing that the position of the outer circumference changes due to the warpage of the wafer 10. When the wafer 10 is in a state of warp as shown in FIG. 6B from the state where there is no warp as shown in FIG. 6A, the position of the outer circumference in the xy coordinate system also changes. In addition, the wafer 10 cannot be confined in concave shape as shown in FIG. 6B, and may be curved in a convex shape.

Here, the wafer 10 is warped because the temperature is nonuniform within the wafer 10 surface. When the wafer 10 is cooled, the temperature near the outer circumference is easily lowered than that near the center. Therefore, when warping occurs in the wafer 10, it occurs near the outer circumference. However, since a part of the wafer 10 has a locally low temperature, a portion near the outer circumference of the wafer 10 is near another outer circumference. Larger deflection occurs compared to the part of. In other words, when the wafer 10 is bent, a large position change occurs only in a part of the outer circumference of the wafer 10, and the point where the light receiving portion 11b is installed and the outer circumference of the wafer 10 overlap when viewed from above. Since a deflection occurs in the change of position, it may be assumed that the center position (x ₀ , y ₀ ) of the virtual circle is farther from the origin as the deflection becomes larger.

7 is xy coordinates showing the virtual circle and the center position of the virtual circle obtained by the control unit 6. 7A shows the virtual circle passing through three points measured when there is no warp in the wafer 10 and the centers (x ₀ , y ₀ ) of the virtual circle. In the absence of warpage, m ₁ = m ₂ = m ₃ in (1) to (3), and (x ₀ , y ₀ ) coincides with the origin. On the other hand, B of FIG. 7 has shown the center of the virtual circle and the virtual circle which pass three points measured when the wafer 10 has warpage. In the case of warpage, m ₁ , m ₂ , and m ₃ are different values, and (x ₀ , y ₀ ) is far from the origin.

The control unit 6 presets the threshold information. The threshold value is set to a limit value which may be considered that warping has not occurred in the wafer 10. The controller 6 calculates the distance p ₀ between the center position of the virtual circle and the center position of the upper surface of the cooling unit 12 and determines whether the distance p ₀ is equal to or less than the threshold (step S17). ). The distance p ₀ is represented by the following equation (7).

If the control section 6 determines that the distance p ₀ is less than or equal to the threshold (YES in step S17), the processing ends. When the control section 6 determines that the distance p ₀ is larger than the threshold (NO in step S17), the control section 6 issues a warning (step S18). An example of the warning is that a warning sound is issued to an unshown light moving device provided outside the wafer processing system to display a warning message on a display device not shown provided outside the wafer processing system. When the control part 6 gives a warning, the control part 6 complete | finishes the process regarding the detection of the curvature of the wafer 10. FIG.

In addition, in this embodiment, the object which the control part 6 measures the distance with the center position of a virtual circle is not limited to the center position of the upper surface of the cooling part 12, but in the upper surface of the cooling part 12 other than a center position. In addition to this, the predetermined position in the wafer 10 or the predetermined position in the chamber 13 other than the cooling part 12 may be sufficient.

An example of the predetermined position in the wafer 10 is the center of the wafer 10 before cooling. Normally, the wafer 10 does not warp before cooling, and even if warpage occurs by cooling, the position of the entire wafer 10 does not move. Further, as described above, since the warp occurs in the vicinity of the outer circumference of the wafer 10, the position is hardly changed even if the warp occurs in the center. Therefore, if the center position of the wafer 10 is measured before the wafer 10 is cooled, the warpage can be detected by calculating the distance from the center position of the virtual circle.

The light emitting part 11a and the light receiving part 11b which are the sensors for a measurement should just be able to measure the position of the 3 or more points on the outer periphery of the wafer 10, and two T line sensors with a length direction longer than this embodiment are used. It may be provided in the shape of a magnet or in parallel, and can measure two points on the outer periphery of the wafer 10 with at least one line sensor. Moreover, it is not limited to a line sensor but a two-dimensional sensor may be sufficient.

According to this embodiment, the load lock module 1 can detect the warpage of the wafer 10 generated by cooling. Therefore, by warning when warping is detected, a person monitoring the wafer processing system can act properly, and the wafer 10 falls or breaks during transfer due to the warping of the wafer 10. Problems can be prevented beforehand.

≪ Embodiment 2 >

The second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, when the control unit 6 detects the warp of the wafer 10, the control unit 6 cools the wafer 10 again, and detects the warp again.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing processing when the control section 6 detects warpage of the wafer 10 in the second embodiment. Thereafter, the same components and processes as those described above are assigned the same numbers, and the description thereof is omitted.

The control unit 6 counts the number of times of cooling before performing cooling (step S21). When the control part 6 counts the number of times of cooling, the control part 6 performs the process of step S11 to step S16.

The control part 6 judges whether the distance p ₀ is below a threshold (step S17), and when it determines below a threshold (YES in step S17), it complete | finishes a process.

The control unit 6 determines that the distance p ₀ is greater than the threshold (NO in step S17), and further determines that the number of times of cooling is less than or equal to the predetermined number of times (YES in step S22), and again. (S21) and the processes of steps S11 to S17 are performed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the distance p ₀ is greater than the threshold even if the number of times of cooling exceeds the predetermined number of times (NO in step S22), a warning is issued (step S18), and the processing ends.

As described above, the cause of the warp of the wafer 10 is that the temperature is nonuniform within the surface of the wafer 10. Therefore, even if warpage has once occurred in the wafer 10, the temperature difference inside the wafer 10 is lost by cooling the wafer 10 again, so that the warpage of the wafer 10 may be lost.

According to the present embodiment, the warpage generated by cooling the wafer 10 again can be eliminated, so that the production efficiency of the wafer can be improved.

In addition, the control unit 6 does not count the number of times of cooling in step S21, but rather sums up the time for cooling the wafer 10, and determines in step S22 whether the number of times of cooling is equal to or less than a predetermined number of times. The determination may be made based on whether or not the sum of the cooling times is within a predetermined time, rather than being performed.

The cooling time in this embodiment may differ depending on the number of cooling, for example, the control part 6 may be set so that the wafer 10 may be cooled for 60 second at the first time and 30 second at the second time.

Third Embodiment

The third embodiment will be described. The third embodiment detects deviation of the position of the wafer 10 generated when the wafer 10 is taken out of the processing module 5 by the arm 4d and placed on the cooling unit 12.

The control unit 6 mounts the wafer 10 by the arm 4d so that the center position of the upper surface of the cooling unit 12 and the center position of the wafer 10 coincide with each other. However, when the arrangement in the processing module 5 of the wafer 10 deviates from the original arrangement, the position of the wafer 10 may be placed from the position at which the wafer 10 should be originally placed even when placed on the upper surface of the cooling unit 12. There may be a departure. In addition, when the wafer 10 is taken out from the processing module 5 by the arm 4d and brought into the upper surface of the cooling unit 12, the arm 4d is inclined, and the wafer 10 is moved from the arm 4d. Due to slipping or the like, the position of the wafer 10 may deviate from the position to be originally placed. In order to cope with such a case, the deviation of the position of the wafer 10 is detected.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing processing when the controller 6 detects the deviation of the position of the wafer 10 in the third embodiment.

When the controller 6 places the wafer 10 on the upper surface of the cooling unit 12, the control unit 6 emits the light emitting units 11a, 11a, and 11a prior to cooling (step S31).

The control part 6 acquires the information of the quantity of light which the light receiving parts 11b, 11b, 11b received the light which the light emitting parts 11a, 11a, 11a emitted from the light receiving parts 11b, 11b, 11b (step S32). .

Based on the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 11b, the control unit 6 measures the positions of the three points where the locations where the light receiving units 11b, 11b and 11b are installed and the outer circumference of the wafer 10 are directly viewed from above ( Step S33).

In addition, the controller 6 measures the center position x ₁ , y ₁ of the virtual circle passing through the three points measured in step S33 (step S34).

When the wafer 10 is originally placed at the position to be placed, the center of the wafer 10 and the center of the upper surface of the cooling unit 12 coincide with each other. In addition, since measurement of the detachment by conveyance in this Example is performed before cooling the wafer 10, the warpage by cooling does not occur in the wafer 10. Therefore, the distance p ₁ between the center position of the upper surface of the cooling unit 12 and the center position of the wafer 10 indicates the deviation between the position of the wafer 10 and the position to be originally placed. The distance p ₁ is represented by the following formula (8).

Control unit 6 determines whether or not the calculated distance (p _1), and the distance (p ₁₎ is less than a preset threshold value (step (S35)). The threshold value is set to a limit value that can eliminate the deviation of the position of the wafer 10 by correcting with the arm 4d. The control unit 6 receives the wafer 10 with the arm 4d according to the correction instruction, and places the wafer 10 again in the cooling unit to offset the positional deviation of the wafer 10.

If the distance p ₁ is larger than the threshold (NO in step S35), the control unit 6 issues a warning (step S36), and ends the processing. An example of the warning is that a warning sound is audible to a non-illustrated Myeong-dong apparatus provided outside the wafer processing system to display a warning message on a display device not shown provided outside the wafer processing system.

If the distance p ₁ is less than or equal to the threshold value (YES in step S35), the number of times of cooling is counted (step S21), and the wafer 10 is placed on the cooling unit 12 so that the wafer 10 Cooling is performed (step S11), and the wafer 10 is separated from the cooling section 12 by the lift pin 20 to complete the cooling (step S12). The control unit 6 causes the light emitting units 11a, 11a, 11a to emit light in a state in which the wafer 10 is supported by the lift pins 20 (step S13).

The control part 6 acquires the information of how much light the light emission part 11a, 11a, 11a received by the light receiving part 11b, 11b, 11b was received (step S14).

Based on the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 11b, the control unit 6 measures the positions of the three points where the locations where the light receiving units 11b, 11b and 11b are installed and the outer circumference of the wafer 10 are directly viewed from above ( Step S15). Moreover, the control part 6 calculates the center position of the virtual circle which passes three points calculated | required by Formula (1)-(3) (step S16). When the measured central position of the virtual circle is (x ₂ , y ₂ ), the deviation p ₂ of the distance of the wafer 10 due to warpage is represented by the following expression (9).

That is, by comparing the position of the center of the wafer 10 before cooling with the position of the center of the wafer 10 after cooling, the warpage of the wafer 10 due to cooling can be properly detected.

If the distance p ₂ is equal to or less than the first threshold (YES in step S41), it is determined whether the distance p ₂ is equal to or less than the second threshold (step S42). If the distance p ₂ is larger than the first threshold (NO in step S41), it is determined whether the number of times of cooling is equal to or less than a predetermined number of times (step S22).

If the distance p ₂ is equal to or less than the second threshold (YES in step S42), the processing ends. If the distance p ₂ is larger than the second threshold (NO in step S42), the arm 4d is instructed to correct (step S44), and the processing ends.

If the number of times of cooling is equal to or less than the predetermined number of times (YES in step S22), the flow returns to step S21 to count the number of times of cooling. When the number of times of cooling exceeds a predetermined number (NO in step S22), a warning is issued (step S43), and the processing ends.

In addition, in this embodiment, the object which the control part 6 measures the distance with the center position of a virtual circle is not limited to the center position of the upper surface of the cooling part 12, but in the upper surface of the cooling part 12 other than a center position. The predetermined position in the chamber 13 other than the dot or the cooling part 12 may be sufficient.

If the wafer 10 is moved away from the position due to conveyance, the wafer 10 may fall if the arm 4d is taken out of the load lock module 1 without correcting. According to this embodiment, since the deviation of the position of the wafer 10 is detected by the load lock module 1, the control unit 6 causes the arm 4d to correct the position, thereby conveying the wafer 10. It can be done. Or, a warning watcher can take appropriate action. Therefore, the production efficiency of the wafer 10 in the wafer processing system is improved.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the deviation of the position of the wafer 10 can be detected before the wafer 10 is cooled, and the warpage of the wafer 10 can be detected after the wafer 10 is cooled. Therefore, the problem which occurred conventionally that the wafer 10 falls at the time of conveyance by the warpage of the wafer 10 can be prevented more effectively.

<Fourth Embodiment>

The fourth embodiment will be described. 10 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing the load lock module 1 in the fourth embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, the turntable 30 rotates the wafer 10 to measure the center position and the notch position of the wafer 10.

The fourth embodiment will be described. In addition to the configuration of the first embodiment, the load lock module 1 in this embodiment includes a light emitting portion 21a such as a light emitting diode and a light receiving portion 21b such as a CCD sensor. The light emitting portion 21a includes a light emitting element, and in the light receiving portion 21b, a plurality of light receiving elements are arranged in a square longitudinal and horizontal direction. The length of one side is about 100 mm each.

The light receiving portion 21b is embedded so that the upper surface of the cooling portion 12 is coincident with each other, and does not overlap with the light receiving portion 11b. It is installed. The square of the light receiving part 21b is provided so that the straight line which passes through the center and the center of the upper surface of the cooling part 12, and two sides of this square may become parallel. The light emitting portion 21a is provided on the upper wall of the chamber 13 as just above the light receiving portion 21b.

In addition, the load lock module 1 in this embodiment penetrates the center of the cooling unit 12 and is provided with a rotating shaft 31 having a central axis coinciding with the cooling unit 12.

The cooling unit 12 has a turntable 30 having a horizontal top surface and a disc shape. The turntable 30 is a size which does not block the light reception of the light receiving part 21b, and an example of the size is about 150 mm in diameter. The turntable 30 is usually buried in the upper surface of the cooling unit 12 such that the upper surface of the cooling unit 12 is coincided with the turntable 30, and the center of the turntable 30 generally coincides with the center of the upper surface of the cooling unit 12. The center of the lower surface of the turntable 30 and the upper end of the rotating shaft 31 are connected.

The lower part of the rotating shaft 31 is supported by the support 32 provided in the inside of the cooling part 12. As shown in FIG. The rotary shaft 31 is connected to the motor 33 installed inside the support 32. When the motor 33 operates according to the instruction of the controller 6, the rotary shaft 31 rotates, and the turntable 30 rotates. It is configured to rotate. In addition, the motor 33 is configured to raise and lower the turntable 30 from a height coinciding with the cooling section 12 to a predetermined height as shown in FIG. 10.

In measuring the outer circumference of the wafer 10, the wafer 10 should be rotated so that the outer circumference of the wafer 10 can be measured by the light receiving portion 21b. However, since the cooling tube 18 is formed in the cooling part 12, it is difficult to rotate the cooling part 12 itself. Therefore, the wafer 10 is rotated by the turntable 30.

When the wafer 10 before the processing is placed on the upper surface of the cooling unit 12 by the arm 3d of the loader module 3, the control unit 6 raises the turntable 30 to rotate at a constant speed, and further, the chamber. (13) The inside is made into a vacuum atmosphere from atmospheric pressure atmosphere.

The light emitting portion 21a emits light continuously while the wafer 10 rotates, and the light receiving portion 21b composed of a plurality of light receiving elements receives this light. Since the wafer 10 is circular, when there is no deviation in the position of the wafer 10, the light receiving portion 21b receives and shields the same light receiving element regardless of the rotation angle of the turntable 30. On the other hand, when there is a deviation in the position of the wafer 10, there is a part of the light receiving portion 21b that is received or shielded according to the rotation angle of the turntable 30.

The control part 6 acquires the information about the peripheral shape (profile) of the wafer 10 by the light receiving part 21b, rotating the wafer 10 by the turntable 30. The eccentric amount and eccentric direction of the wafer 10 from the center of the turntable 30 are obtained based on the obtained information, and the notched position of the wafer 10 is determined based on the information about the peripheral shape of the wafer 10. In addition, the turntable 30 is rotated by a predetermined amount to align the direction of the notch position with respect to the arm 4d.

The control unit 6 carries out the wafer 10 from the load lock module 1 by the arm 4d when the notch position is aligned, and the arm 6 is based on the eccentricity and the eccentric direction of the wafer 10 obtained. Instruction is given to correct 4d).

In addition, in the load lock module 1 according to the present embodiment, as described above, the wafer 10 after the processing process is caused by bending or conveying the wafer 10 by the light emitting portion 11a and the light receiving portion 11b. Detect deviation of the position.

According to this embodiment, the center position and the notch position of the wafer 10 before the machining process can be detected by the area sensor, and appropriate correction or warning can be performed. In addition, since the center position and the notch position of the wafer 10 can be detected in parallel with the process of setting the inside of the load lock module 1 from the atmospheric atmosphere to the vacuum atmosphere, the loader is maintained while maintaining the production efficiency of the wafer 10. The wafer 10 can be carried from the module 3 to the transfer module 4.

<Fifth Embodiment>

The fifth embodiment will be described. 11 is a schematic top view showing a wafer processing system in a fifth embodiment. The wafer processing system in this embodiment uses two load lock modules for the wafer 10 before the processing and one for the wafer 10 after the processing.

Since the cooling of the wafer 10 requires time, the loadlock module 1b requires more time for processing than the loadlock module 1a. The wafer processing system in this embodiment uses one loadlock module for the wafer 10 before the processing and two loadlock modules for the wafer 10 after the processing, thereby smoothing the production process. The production efficiency can be improved.

The processing system in this embodiment includes the loadlock modules 1a, 1b, and 1b, and the load lock including the light emitting portion 21a and the light receiving portion 21b of the wafer 10 on the wafer 10 before the processing. The module 1a is used, and the load lock module 1b including the light emitting portion 11a and the light receiving portion 11b is used for the wafer 10 after the processing. However, in consideration of the production situation of the wafer 10, when the process of the wafer 10 after processing is stagnant, the load lock module 1a may be used for the wafer 10 after processing.

According to the present embodiment, the light emitting portion 21a and the light receiving portion 21b are used for the wafer 10 before the processing, and the light emitting portion 11a and the light receiving portion are used for the wafer 10 after the processing. Since measurement mentioned above is performed using (11b), cost is reduced because an extra structure is not needed in carrying out necessary measurement.

The number of load lock modules 1a and 1b in the wafer processing system according to the present embodiment is not limited as long as the load lock module 1b is larger than the load lock module 1a.

Sixth Embodiment

A sixth embodiment will be described. 12 is a schematic top view showing a wafer processing system in a sixth embodiment. The processing system in this embodiment includes three or more loadlock modules 1c, 1c, and 1c including the light emitting portion 11a and the light receiving portion 11b, and the light emitting portion 21a and the light receiving portion 21b. .

It is common to use one for the wafer 10 before the processing and two for the wafer 10 after the processing. For example, in the case where the processing of the wafer 10 after the processing is stagnant, all three processes are processed. It can also be used for the subsequent wafer 10.

In the present embodiment, the load lock module 1c smoothly utilizes the production process by using the wafer 10 before or after the processing in which the production process is stagnant in consideration of the situation of the production process of the wafer 10. In addition, the production efficiency of the wafer 10 can be improved.

In addition, if the number of the load lock modules 1c in the wafer processing system according to the present embodiment is three or more, there is no limitation.

Seventh Example

A seventh embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the deviation of the position and direction of the wafer 10 placed on the arm 3d is calculated from the image of the wafer 10, and the arm 3d and the turntable 30 are controlled based on the departure. .

The wafer 10 has a cleavage property, that is, a property that is fragile in a specific direction from the crystal direction in the plane, and in the division of the wafer 10 to form a final product, the wafer 10 uses the cleavage property to obtain a wafer ( Divide 10). Therefore, in the processing module 5, processing such as cleaning, film formation, etching, exposure, and the like is performed. In performing such processing, the direction must also be constant along with the position of the wafer 10.

Here, at the time of conveying the wafer 10 from the load port 2 to the wafer load lock module 1 by the arm 3d in the loader module 3, the wafer 10 is predetermined in the arm 3d. It is assumed to be mounted in the position and the direction of. However, deviation may occur in the position or direction in the process until the wafer 10 is conveyed to the load port 2 or in the process of conveying the wafer 10 by the arm 3d.

In particular, when the deviation of the position of the wafer 10 is large, when it is conveyed to the load lock module 1 by the load port 2 as it is, it comes into contact with the gate valve 17a which is the inlet of the load lock module 1, There is a problem that the position of the wafer 10 is shifted further, or the wafer 10 falls or is broken.

As a means to solve this problem, it is difficult to enlarge the gate valve 17a. In order to improve the processing capacity of the wafer processing system, it is necessary to adjust the air pressure in the loadlock module 1 in a short time, so that the loadlock module 1 is preferably small in capacity, and with this, the gate It is preferable that the valve 17a is also designed as small as possible.

Therefore, correcting deviation of the position of the wafer 10 before bringing the wafer 10 into the load lock module 1 can be cited as a solving means. In this embodiment, the control part 6 calculates the deviation of the position and direction of the wafer 10 mounted on the arm 3d, and controls the arm 3d and the turntable 30 based on the departure. In addition, the deviation of the direction is calculated along with the deviation of the position, and the turntable 30 is controlled to correct the deviation of the direction.

14 is a schematic diagram showing the loader module 3 according to the seventh embodiment. The loader module 3 is provided with the arm 3d in the base 3e of which the upper surface is horizontal and flat. The circular columnar drive unit 41 in the arm 3d is embedded in the base 3e so as to coincide with the upper surface of the base 3e. In addition, one end of the rod-shaped first arm 43 is located near the center of the upper surface of the drive unit 41. One end of the first rotating part 42 extending in the vertical direction near this one end extends from the driving device part 41 and is embedded in the first arm part 43. The other end vicinity of the 1st rotating part 42 is connected with the motor which is not shown in the inside of base 3e, and a motor rotates the 1st rotating part 42 to a horizontal direction.

Moreover, the 2nd rotating part 44 is provided in the vicinity of the other end of the 1st arm part 43 in the longitudinal direction. The second rotating portion 44 has a circular columnar shape having the vertical direction in the longitudinal direction, and the lower portion is embedded in the first arm portion 43, and the upper portion is near one end in the longitudinal direction in the second arm portion 45 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape. Buried As the second rotary part 44 rotates in the circumferential direction according to the instruction of the control unit 6, the second arm 45 rotates in the horizontal direction.

Near the other end of the 2nd arm part 45 in the longitudinal direction, the peak 46 in which the upper surface was arranged flat and horizontally is provided. When conveying the wafer 10, the arm portion 3d is flexed by placing the wafer 10 on the peak 46 and rotating the first rotating portion 42 and the second rotating portion 44.

Moreover, the drive part 41 is provided with the rod-shaped support part 47 extended in the vertical direction, and the tip was bent at right angles, and the imaging part 48 is fixed to the tip. The support part 47 should just be provided in any one of the loader modules 3. For example, it may be fixed to the drive device part 41, and may rotate like the 1st rotation part 42. FIG. In addition, the support part 47 may be fixed to the 1st arm part 43, and may be fixed to the base 3e. The imaging part 48 is a CCD camera, for example, and is fixed so that image | photographing below may be carried out. The light emitting part 49 is fixed at the position adjacent to the imaging | photography part 48, and it emits light downward.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the arm 3d is extended and refracted, A in FIG. 15 illustrates a state in which the arm 3d is refracted, and B in FIG. 15 illustrates a state in which the arm 3d is extended. . The extended and refracted state is an example, and in the extended state of the arm 3d, the first arm portion 43 and the second arm portion 45 do not have to be linear, but may have a predetermined angle. The first arm portion 43 and the second arm portion 45 may have a predetermined angle in a refracted state. The arm 3d rotates the second rotating part 44 to extend the arm 3d when the wafer 10 is carried out from the load port 2. Thereafter, the second rotating part 44 is rotated to refract the arm 3d, and the first rotating part 42 is rotated by a predetermined angle to move the wafer 10. After that, the second rotary part 44 is rotated again to extend the arm 3d, and the wafer 10 is loaded into the load lock module 1. When the arm 3d is refracted, the imaging unit 48 is fixed to a position where the entire wafer 10 can be photographed.

In the case where the wafer 10 is placed on the peak 46 by the arm 3d and conveyed, the wafer 10 is moved by the photographing unit 48 when the second rotating unit 44 is rotated and the arm 3d is refracted. To shoot.

Calculation of the deviation of the position of the wafer 10 is performed by calculating the deviation of the center position and the reference | standard center position of the wafer 10 from the image which the imaging part 48 image | photographed. On the other hand, the wafer 10 according to the present embodiment has a V-shaped notch engraved about several mm in depth from the outer circumference thereof, and the direction from the center of the wafer 10 has a predetermined angle with respect to the crystallographic direction. The deviation of the direction is formed by calculating the deviation of the direction from the center of the wafer 10 to the point corresponding to the deepest part of the notch and the reference direction.

Therefore, it is necessary to accurately set the center position in the case where the wafer 10 does not have a departure, and the arm 3d may have a deviation in the arrangement due to repeated use. For this reason, the control part 6 sets suitably the reference center position which is the center position of the wafer 10 in the case where there is no detachment previously. The control part 6 photographs the pick-up part 48 at the peak 46 in a predetermined position, before photographing the image of the wafer 10. The control part 6 calculates a center position based on the position of the predetermined location of the peak 46 in the image | photographed by the imaging | photography part 48. The calculated center position is referred to as the origin in the xy coordinate system.

The light emitting unit 49 emits light in accordance with the timing at which the image capturing unit 48 photographs. As a result, the difference in luminance occurs in the portion of the image captured by the wafer 10 and in other portions thereof. The control part 6 measures the position of the point corresponding to the periphery of the wafer 10 by measuring the position of the point where the difference of the luminance with the position of the adjacent point is large. The point measuring position selects some of the points all around. One point determines the number and interval of points to select to correspond to the part of the notch of the wafer 10, and selects about tens to hundreds of points, for example.

When the wafer 10 is agenda of a perfect circular shape, the center position of the wafer 10 can be calculated by measuring the positions of three or more points corresponding to the periphery of the wafer 10. However, since the notch is formed in the wafer 10, when the center position is calculated as one of the points corresponding to the periphery of the wafer 10, the wrong center position is calculated. Therefore, the center position is calculated by the combination of various three points among the positions of the points corresponding to the periphery of the wafer 10 once obtained. In the calculation result, when the coordinate of a center position differs more than predetermined value from the average value of another calculation result, 1 point among 3 points of a combination is called the point of a part of a notch.

One point of the part of a notch can be detected by finding two or more cases different from another calculation result, and determining the point contained in all cases. On the other hand, the center position of the wafer 10 can be calculated accurately by calculating the average of the center positions except for the case where the predetermined value is different. The deviation of a position is calculated from this center position and the reference center position calculated | required previously.

Next, the position of the notch is calculated. After detecting the position of one point of the part of a notch, the position corresponding to the periphery of the wafer 10 in the predetermined range so that the foreground of a notch can be grasped from the one point is measured.

The control unit 6 selects a predetermined one point from each point corresponding to the periphery of the wafer 10 near the notch, and extracts a predetermined number of points located around the selected point. Based on the extracted positions of these points, a straight line is calculated according to the least square method. After calculation, the point adjacent to the selected point mentioned above is selected, and similarly, the procedure of calculating a straight line by the least square method based on the predetermined number of points around the selected point is repeated.

16 is an explanatory diagram showing a straight line calculated by the least square method. In this case, comparing A of FIG. 16 and FIG. 16B of FIG. 16, when all of the predetermined number of points adjacent to each other correspond to the circular part of the wafer 10, the point to select is made into the adjacent point. In this case, the change of the slope of the straight line calculated by the least square method is small. However, as shown in C of FIG. 16, when one end of a notch is included in a part of a predetermined number of points, the change of the slope of the straight line calculated by the least square method is large compared with A of FIG. Similarly, the inclination changes greatly in the case of including the point corresponding to the other end of the notch or the deepest part of the groove. Therefore, the inclination changes greatly in three places, and the point corresponding to the deepest part of the notch groove can be discriminated from these three positional relationships. The direction of the wafer 10 is calculated from the point corresponding to the deepest part of the groove of this notch and the center position of the wafer 10 already obtained. In addition, in the control part 6, the information about the direction used as the reference | standard of the wafer 10 is previously stored, and the deviation | deviation from the direction used as a reference | standard and the direction of the calculated wafer 10 is calculated.

The controller 6 calculates the deviation of the position and direction of the wafer 10 and then corrects the deviation. The control unit 6 causes the arm 3d to wait near the gate valve 17a once before bringing the wafer 10 into the load lock module 1. At this time, the deviation of the position is corrected.

The control part 6 controls the angle which rotates the 1st rotation part 42, the 2nd rotation part 44, and the peak 46 in order to correct | amend the position by moving the arm 3d by the departure position. 17 is a top view showing the length and angle of the arm 3d. The amount of deviation of the xy coordinate is (x ₃ , y ₃ ), and the length of the first arm portion 43 and the second arm portion 45 is from a junction of a ₁ , a _2, and peak 46 to the center of the wafer 10. The distance between the first arm portion 43, the second arm portion 45, and the peak 46 when the arm 3d stands by in the vicinity of the gate valve 17a when there is no correction is set to a ₃ . The angles are θ ₁ , θ _2, and θ ₃ . In this case, the angles θ ₁ ′, θ ₂ ′, and θ ₃ ′, in which the first rotating part 42, the second rotating part 44, and the peak 46 rotate to correct the deviation, are expressed by the following equation (10). In addition to Equation (11), all factors such as an operation range are calculated.

The control unit 6 moves the arm 3d to correct the amount of deviation of the position, then opens the gate valve 17a and places the wafer 10 on the cooling unit 12 in the load lock module 1. Wit

The load lock module 1 in this embodiment has a turntable 30 as in the configuration in the fourth embodiment. The control unit 6 operates the turntable 30, rotates by the deviation of the calculated direction, and corrects the deviation of the direction of the wafer 10.

Next, the process of the control part 6 in a present Example is demonstrated. 18 is a flowchart showing processing of the control unit 6 in the seventh embodiment. The control part 6 rotates the 2nd rotation part 44 to refract the arm 3d (step S51), and image | photographs the peak 46 by the imaging | photography part 48 (step S52). A reference center position is calculated based on the position of the picked peak 46 (step S53).

The controller 6 extends the arm 3d (step S54), mounts the wafer 10 on the peak 46 (step S55), and takes it out of the load port 2 (step S56). )).

The control part 6 makes the imaging | photography part 48 image the wafer 10 in the state which refracted the arm 3d by rotating the 2nd rotation part 44 (step S58). The position of the predetermined number of points corresponding to the periphery of the wafer 10 is measured from the photographed position (step S59), the center position of the wafer 10 is calculated (step S60), and the reference center position The deviation of the position of is computed (step S61). In addition, the position of the point corresponding to the notch part is measured (step S62).

The control part 6 measures the position of each point of the wafer 10 in the predetermined range centering on the one point (step S63). By calculating by the least square method from the obtained positions of the respective points, the position of the point corresponding to the deepest part of the notch groove is detected (step S64). The direction from the center of the wafer 10 to the point corresponding to the deepest part of the notch groove is calculated (step S65). The deviation of a direction is calculated from the information of the reference direction stored (step S66). The control part 6 extends the arm 3d to the position which correct | deviates the deviation of the position of the wafer 10 when extending the arm 3d (step S67). In addition, the control unit 6 mounts the wafer 10 on the cooling unit 12 by the arm 3d (step S68), and then rotates the turntable 30 by the amount of deviation in the direction, and thus the direction of the direction. Correction is performed (step S69).

In addition, when the wafer 10 is conveyed from the load port 2 to the load lock module 1 by the arm 3d, the wafer 10 may be displaced in a position or direction. However, since the control section 6 requires a certain time for processing to calculate the above-mentioned departure, the wafer 10 starts to calculate the departure just before the wafer 10 is loaded into the loadlock module 1. ), There is a problem that the return of the stagnant.

In order to cope with such a problem, the photographing unit 48 continuously photographs the images of the plurality of wafers 10 during the conveyance of the wafer 10, and whether the deviation occurred in the wafer 10 during the conveyance from the plurality of images. You may determine whether or not. In this case, the control part 6 detects the deviation of the above-mentioned position and direction based on the image image | photographed for the first time, and after that, the deviation | deviation is generated from the position and direction of the image image | photographed by the wafer 10 for the first time by the image. It may be determined whether or not there is. This determination may be made based on, for example, whether or not the position of the point around the wafer 10 in the first image has moved.

Instead of the notch, an orientation flat that is a straight notch may be formed on the wafer 10. In this case, when the control part 6 calculates a straight line by the least square method with respect to a predetermined number of points as mentioned above, the inclination of a straight line changes large in two places. The direction of the wafer 10 is calculated based on the position of any one of two locations.

In addition to the notch or the orientation flat, a mark indicating the direction of the wafer 10 may be provided, and the position of the mark may be inside the wafer 10 at a predetermined distance from the center of the wafer 10. In this case, the control part 6 calculates the position of the center of the wafer 10, and then detects one point having a large difference in luminance with surrounding points at a position spaced a predetermined distance from the center of the wafer 10. do. This detected point corresponds to a part of the mark. The position of each point with a large difference in luminance with the surrounding point within a predetermined range from the detected one point is measured. As a result of the measurement, the position of the predetermined one point in the marker is detected. The direction from the center of the wafer 10 to this predetermined point is calculated, and the deviation from the reference direction is calculated.

In addition, the loader module 3 in the present embodiment detects the deviation of the position in the present embodiment when unloading from the loadlock module 1 after the wafer 10 is processed, and releases the departure by the arm 3d. You may correct. The arm 4d in the transfer module 4 may be provided with the same configuration as the arm 3d in the present embodiment.

Instead of the disk-shaped turntable 30, a lifter ring in which a hollow is formed in the disk may be used. In addition, the imaging part 48 may be equipped with two or more apparatuses which image | photograph a part of wafer 10. In this case, the image of the whole wafer is image | photographed by combining the image of the some imaging part 48. FIG.

The arm 3d may be configured so that the placed wafer 10 can move in the vertical direction. In addition, the loader module 3 may provide a plurality of arms 3d.

According to the present embodiment, in the present embodiment, the control unit 6 calculates the deviation of the position and direction of the wafer 10 placed on the arm 3d, and based on the separation, the arm 3d and the turntable 30 are moved. Because of the control, the position can be appropriately corrected even when the deviation of the position is large. In addition, since the deviation of the direction is calculated together with the position, the overlapping processing can be performed at the time of calculating both.

In addition, the load lock module according to an embodiment of the present invention is a load lock module having a cooling unit for cooling the wafer, the sensor for measuring the position of the plurality of points on the outer periphery of the wafer, the plurality of points A center position calculating section for calculating a center position of a circle defined by a distance; a distance calculating section for calculating a distance between the calculated center position and a predetermined position on the cooling section or the wafer; and cooling by the cooling section. And detecting a warpage of the wafer on the basis of the center position and the distance. The said cooling part is comprised so that the said wafer may be cooled based on the detection result of the said detection part. The detection unit is characterized in that it is configured to detect the deviation between the position of the wafer and the position where the wafer on the cooling unit should be placed. And a table which is connected to the cooling unit and lifts and rotates the mounted wafer, wherein the detection unit acquires information about the peripheral shape of the wafer rotated by the table.

In addition, a wafer processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a module having an arm for placing a wafer and conveying the wafer to the load lock module, and measuring the position of the wafer placed on the module. The arm position deviation calculation unit which calculates a deviation from the position of the mounted wafer measured by the measurement unit and the predetermined position in the arm, and the position to move when the arm carries the wafer, the arm position And a control unit for controlling based on the departure calculated by the departure calculation unit. The measuring unit is configured to measure a position of a mark provided at a position different from the center of the wafer, and an arm calculating a deviation from a direction from the center of the wafer to the mark measured by the measuring unit and a predetermined direction in the arm. And a rotation unit provided on the direction deviation calculation unit and the cooling unit and rotating the placed wafer, wherein the control unit controls the rotation angle of the rotation unit based on the deviation calculated by the arm direction deviation calculation unit. It is characterized by being configured.

The embodiment disclosed this time is an illustration in all the points, and it should be assumed that it is not restrictive. It is intended that the scope of the invention be indicated by the claims rather than the foregoing, and include all modifications within the meaning and range equivalent to the claims.

1, 1a, 1b, 1c: loadlock module
2: load port
3: loader module
3d: cancer
3e: expect
4: conveying module
5: processing module
6:
10: wafer
11a: light emitting unit
11b: light receiver
12: cooling part
13: chamber
14: vacuum pump
15: on-off valve
16: exhaust pipe
17a, 17b: gate valve
18: cooling tube
19: feed pump
20: lift pin
21a: light emitting unit
21b: light-receiving part
30: turntable
31: rotating shaft
32: support
33: motor
41 drive unit
42: first rotating part
43: first arm
44: second rotating part
45: second arm
46: peak
47: support
48: the shooting unit
49: light emitting unit

Claims (10)

A load lock module having a cooling unit for cooling a wafer,
A sensor for measuring the position of a plurality of points on the outer periphery of the wafer,
A center position calculator for calculating a center position of a circle defined by the plurality of points,
A distance calculator for calculating a distance between the calculated center position of the circle and a predetermined position on the cooling unit or the wafer;
A detection section for detecting warpage of the wafer based on the center position and the distance after cooling by the cooling section;
A load lock module, characterized in that.
The method of claim 1,
The cooling unit is configured to cool the wafer based on a detection result of the detection unit.
A load lock module, characterized in that.
The method of claim 1,
The detection unit is configured to detect a deviation between the position of the wafer and the position where the wafer on the cooling unit should be placed.
A load lock module, characterized in that.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A table which is connected to the cooling unit and lifts and rotates the mounted wafer;
The detection unit acquires information about the peripheral shape of the wafer rotated by the table
A load lock module, characterized in that.
A processing module for processing a wafer;
A transfer module for conveying the wafer processed by the processing module;
The loadlock module of any one of Claims 1-3 with which the said wafer is carried in by the said transfer module is provided.
Wafer processing system characterized in that.
A module having an arm which mounts a wafer and conveys it to the load lock module of any one of Claims 1-3,
A measurement unit installed in the module and measuring the position of the wafer,
An arm position deviation calculator for calculating a deviation between the position of the placed wafer and a predetermined position in the arm measured by the measurement unit;
Control unit for controlling the position to move when the arm conveys the wafer based on the deviation calculated by the arm position deviation calculator
Wafer processing system comprising: a.
The method according to claim 6,
The measuring unit is configured to measure the position of the mark installed at a position different from the center on the wafer,
An arm direction deviation calculator which calculates a deviation between a direction from the center of the wafer to the mark measured by the measurement unit and a predetermined direction in the arm; and
It is provided on the said cooling part, and further provided with the rotating part which rotates the mounted wafer,
The control unit is configured to control the rotation angle of the rotating unit based on the deviation calculated by the arm direction deviation calculation unit.
Wafer processing system characterized in that.
In the processing method of the wafer performed in the wafer processing system provided with the processing module which processes the wafer, the conveyance module which conveys a wafer, and the load lock module which cools a wafer,
A processing step of processing the wafer in the processing module,
A conveying step of conveying the wafer from the processing module to the load lock module in the conveying module;
A cooling process of cooling the wafer in the loadlock module; and
A detection step of detecting warpage of the wafer by calculating a distance between a center position of a circle defined by a plurality of points on the outer circumference of the wafer and a predetermined position on the cooling unit or the wafer;
The processing method of the wafer characterized by the above-mentioned.
The method of claim 8,
And further including a second cooling step of cooling the wafer based on the detection result of the detection step.
The processing method of the wafer characterized by the above-mentioned.
10. The method according to claim 8 or 9,
And detecting a deviation of the position of the wafer conveyed by the conveying step and the position where the wafer on the cooling unit should be placed.
The processing method of the wafer characterized by the above-mentioned.

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