KR20200079782A - Apparatus for treating substrate and method for detecting particle in transfer frame - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a substrate treating device capable of detecting generation of particles. The substrate treating device comprises: an index module; and a process treatment module to treat the substrate. The index module includes a load port on which a container containing the substrate is placed and a transfer frame disposed between the load port and the process treatment module and having a transfer space. The transfer frame includes a transfer robot having a hand on which the substrate is placed and transferring the substrate, a light emitting unit disposed in the transfer frame to emit light into the transfer frame, an imaging unit generating imaging data by imaging the inside the transfer frame, and a detection unit detecting the generation of particles in the transfer frame by using the imaging data received from the imaging unit.

Description

Substrate processing device and particle detection method in transfer frame{APPARATUS FOR TREATING SUBSTRATE AND METHOD FOR DETECTING PARTICLE IN TRANSFER FRAME}

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a method for detecting particles in a transfer frame, and more particularly, to a substrate processing apparatus for sensing an occurrence of particles in a transfer frame by imaging an inside of the transfer frame, and a particle detection method in a transfer frame.

The semiconductor manufacturing process is performed in a clean room that maintains high cleanliness, and an open wafer container is mainly used for storage and transportation of wafers. However, in recent years, in order to reduce the maintenance cost of a clean room, high cleanliness is maintained only inside the process facility and inside some facilities related to the process facility, and relatively low cleanliness is maintained in other areas. In areas where low cleanliness is maintained, sealed wafer containers are used to protect wafers from foreign contaminants or chemical contamination, and a typical example of such sealed wafer containers is a front open unifiedpod ("FOUP"). There is.

In addition, as the diameter of a semiconductor wafer has recently increased, a semiconductor chip is manufactured by an automated system, and a wafer that transfers wafers between a substrate container and a process facility is connected to the process facility for automation and cleaning environment of the semiconductor manufacturing process. The transfer system (equipment front end module: hereinafter "EFEM") is used.

In the wafer transfer system, a monitor camera is provided in the transfer frame to observe the movement of the transfer robot that transfers the wafer, but the monitor camera monitors and records the movement direction or movement of the transfer robot, and helps in the event of a problem in the transfer frame. Did not give. For example, when the contamination of the wafer by particles in the transfer frame occurs, the cause of the problem has been determined by the data of the differential pressure and air conditioning gauge values of the substrate processing equipment, and therefore, considerable effort and time are required to find and fix the cause of the problem. Did.

An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a particle detection method in a transport frame that can easily detect particle generation by irradiating light within the transport frame and imaging the inside of the transport frame.

Substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object, the apparatus for processing the substrate, including an index module and a process processing module for processing the substrate, the index module, the substrate is stored A load port on which the container is placed, and a transfer frame disposed between the load port and the process processing module and having a transfer space, wherein the transfer frame has a hand on which the substrate is placed, a transfer robot for transporting the substrate, the transfer Particle generation in the transport frame is provided using a light emitting unit that is disposed in a frame and irradiates light in the transport frame, an imaging unit that captures the interior of the transport frame to generate imaging data, and the imaging data received from the imaging unit. It includes a detection unit for sensing.

Here, the detection unit may detect a particle in the captured image data and detect an area where the particle occurs in the transport frame based on the detected position and movement path of the particle.

Here, when the number of particles is greater than or equal to a predetermined value in a specific area, the detection unit may determine that particles exist in the specific area.

Here, the specific region may be a circular region having a radius of a predetermined size.

In addition, the detection unit may calculate the movement speed of the particle, and detect the type of the particle based on the calculated movement speed of the particle.

In addition, the light emitting unit includes a laser unit that irradiates a laser in the transfer frame, and the imaging unit can capture scattered light generated by the laser being scattered by the particles.

In addition, the substrate processing apparatus may further include an exhaust device that exhausts the inside of the transfer frame when the particle generation is detected in the detection unit.

In addition, the light emitting unit and the imaging unit may be located above the transfer frame in the transfer frame.

Here, the light emitting unit and the imaging unit may be located opposite to each other in the transfer frame.

On the other hand, the sensing method according to an embodiment of the present invention, in a device provided with a transport robot for transporting a substrate from a container placed on a load port to a processing module for processing the substrate, the transport robot is located In a method of detecting the occurrence of particles in a transport frame, light is irradiated in the transport frame, imaging the inside of the transport frame to generate imaging data, and the generation of particles in the transport frame is detected using the imaging data.

Here, detecting the occurrence of the particle may detect a particle from the captured image data and detect an area where the particle occurs in the transport frame based on the detected position and movement path of the particle.

Here, detecting the occurrence of the particle, when the number of particles is greater than or equal to a predetermined value in a specific area, it may be determined that the particle is generated in the specific area.

Here, the specific region may be a circular region having a radius of a predetermined size.

In addition, detecting the particle generation may calculate the movement speed of the particles, and detect the type of the particles based on the calculated movement speed of the particles.

Further, the light irradiated in the transport frame is a laser, and the imaging data may be generated by imaging the scattered light generated by the laser being scattered by the particles.

In addition, when the particle generation is detected, the inside of the transfer frame may be exhausted.

According to various embodiments of the present invention as described above, imaging the inside of the transfer frame to detect the occurrence of particles in the transfer frame, and detecting the region where the particles are generated in the transfer frame, can facilitate the removal of particles in the transfer frame .

1 is a plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the top.
2 is a cross-sectional view showing a transfer frame according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view for explaining a method of detecting a region where a particle is generated in a transport frame according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a detection method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. The embodiments of the present invention may be modified in various forms, and the scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to the following embodiments. This embodiment is provided to more fully describe the present invention to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the shape of the elements in the drawings has been exaggerated to emphasize a clearer explanation.

1 is a plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the top. Referring to FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 1 has a load port 100, an index module 200, and a process processing module 1000. The load port 100, the index module 200, and the process processing module 1000 are sequentially arranged along one direction.

Hereinafter, a direction in which the load port 100, the index module 200, and the processing module 1000 are disposed is referred to as a first direction 12, and a direction perpendicular to the first direction 12 when viewed from the top The second direction 14 is called, and the direction perpendicular to the first direction 12 and the second direction 14 is called the third direction 16.

The wafer W is moved in a state accommodated in the container 10. At this time, the container 10 has a structure that can be sealed from the outside. For example, the container 10 may be a Front Open Unified Pod (FOUP) having a door in the front.

Hereinafter, the load port 100, the index module 200, and the process processing module 1000 will be described in detail.

The load port 100 has a mounting table 120 on which a container 10 containing wafers W is placed. A plurality of the mounting table 120 is provided, and the mounting tables 200 are arranged in a line along the second direction 14.

The index module 200 transfers the wafer W between the container 10 placed on the mounting table 120 of the load port 100 and the first buffer 300. The index module 200 has a transport frame 210, a transport robot 220, and a guide rail 230. The transfer frame 210 is generally provided in the shape of an empty rectangular parallelepiped, and is disposed between the load port 100 and the first buffer 300. The transfer frame 210 of the index module 200 may be provided at a lower height than the frame 310 of the first buffer 300 described later. The transfer robot 220 and the guide rail 230 are disposed in the transfer frame 210. The transfer robot 220 is driven by four axes so that the hand 221 directly handling the wafer W can be moved and rotated in the first direction 12, the second direction 14, and the third direction 16. It has a possible structure. The transfer robot 220 has a hand 221 and a support 222. The support 222 is provided in a stretchable structure and a rotatable structure. The guide rail 230 is provided so that its longitudinal direction is arranged along the second direction 14. In addition, a door opener 180 for opening and closing the door of the container 10 may be provided in the transfer frame 210.

The processing module 1000 has a first processing unit 400 and a second processing unit 600.

The first processing unit 400 performs an application process and a soft bake process. The first processing unit 400 has a first transport chamber 430, a coating unit 410, and a heat processing unit 420.

The first transport chambers 430 and 430 are positioned side by side with the first buffer 300 and the first direction 12. The transfer robot 432 and the guide rail 433 are positioned in the first transfer module 430. The first transport module 430 has a substantially rectangular shape. The transfer robot 432 transfers the wafer W between the heat treatment unit 420, the application unit 410, the first buffer 300, and the second buffer 500 described later. The guide rail 433 is arranged such that its longitudinal direction is parallel to the first direction 12. The guide rail 433 guides the transfer robot 432 to move linearly in the first direction 12. The transfer robot 432 has a hand 434, an arm 435, a support 436, and a support 437. The hand 434 is fixed to the arm 435. The arm 435 is provided in a stretchable structure so that the hand 434 is movable in the horizontal direction. The support 436 is provided so that its longitudinal direction is arranged along the third direction 16. The arm 435 is coupled to the support 436 such that it can move linearly in the third direction 16 along the support 436. The support 436 is fixedly coupled to the pedestal 437, and the pedestal 437 is coupled to the guide rail 433 so as to be movable along the guide rail 433.

The coating unit 410 has a plurality of coating chambers 418. Each application chamber 418 has the same structure. The application chamber 418 applies chemicals on the wafer W. As an example, the chemical may be a chemical used in the process of forming an insulating film on the wafer W. The application chamber 418 has a housing 411, a support plate 412, and a nozzle 413. The housing 411 has a cup shape with an open top. The support plate 412 is located in the housing 411 and supports the wafer W. The support plate 412 is rotatably provided. The nozzle 413 supplies chemicals onto the wafer W placed on the support plate 412. The nozzle 413 has a circular tube shape and can supply chemicals to the center of the wafer W.

The heat treatment unit 420 performs a heat treatment process such as heating and cooling of the wafer W before or after the chemical application process. The heat treatment unit 420 has a plurality of heating chambers 422 and cooling chambers 425. The heating chamber 422 performs a soft bake process or the like that evaporates the solvent remaining in the chemical after applying the chemical on the wafer W. A heating plate 421 is disposed in the heating chamber 422. The heating plate 421 is provided with heating means such as a hot wire or a thermoelectric element. The plurality of heating chambers 422 have a structure stacked on each other. The cooling chamber 425 performs a cooling process for cooling the wafer W after the heating process. A cooling plate 424 is disposed in the cooling chamber 425. The cooling plate 424 is provided with cooling means such as cooling water or a thermoelectric element. The plurality of cooling chambers 425 are stacked with each other. The cooling chamber 425 and the heating chamber 422 are sequentially arranged along the first direction.

The first buffer 300 temporarily stores the wafer W. The first buffer 300 is disposed to be located on one side of the first transfer chamber 430 in a position adjacent to the index module 200. The first buffer 300 may be disposed to be stacked in the heating chamber 422 or the cooling chamber 425. The first buffer 300 has a housing 321 and a support 322. The support 322 is disposed within the housing 321. The support is provided in one or a plurality, and when provided in a plurality, each support is provided spaced apart from each other along the third direction (16). One wafer W is placed on each support 322. Housing 331 is a transfer robot 220 and the transfer robot 432 is provided with a transfer robot 220 in the direction and transfer robot (220) is provided so that the transfer or carrying the wafer (W) to the support 332 in the housing 331 432 has an opening (not shown) in the direction provided. Alternatively, the first buffer 300 may be disposed between the index module 200 and the first transport chamber 430 along the first direction 12.

The second buffer 500 temporarily stores the wafer W. The second buffer 500 is disposed between the first transfer chamber 430 and the second transfer chamber 610. The second buffer 500 has a housing 521 and a support 522. The support 522 is disposed within the housing 521. The support 522 is provided in one or a plurality, when provided in a plurality, each support 522 is provided spaced apart from each other along the third direction (16). One wafer W is placed on each support 522. In the housing 531, the transfer robot 432 of the first transfer chamber 430 and the transfer robot 612 of the second transfer chamber 610 carry the wafer W into the support 332 in the housing 331 or The first conveyance chamber 430 and the second conveyance chamber 610 have openings (not shown) in a direction provided to be carried out.

The second processing unit 600 performs a curing process. The second processing unit 600 has a second transport chamber 610 and a plurality of curing chambers 620. The curing chamber 620 is disposed to face each other along the second direction, and the second transfer chamber 610 is disposed between them. Each curing chamber 620 has a stacked structure.

The second transport chambers 610 and 610 transport the wafer W between the second buffer 500 and the curing chambers 620. The second transport chambers 610 and 430 have a generally square shape. The transfer robot 612 is disposed in the second transfer chamber 610. The transfer robot 612 transfers the wafer W between each curing chamber 620 and the first transfer module. The transfer robot 612 has a hand 614, an arm 615, a support 616, and a pedestal 617. The hand 614 is fixed to the arm 615. The arm 615 is provided in a stretchable structure so that the hand 614 is movable in the horizontal direction. The support 616 is provided so that its longitudinal direction is arranged along the third direction 16. The arm 615 is coupled to the support 616 so as to be able to move linearly in the third direction 16 along the support 616. The support 616 is fixedly coupled to the base 617, and the base 617 is fixed to the ground.

2 is a cross-sectional view showing an index module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, a container 10 in which a substrate is stored is placed on the load port 100, and a transport robot 220 is provided on the transport frame 210 of the index module 200. The substrate transfer system 30 may be configured by the load port 100 and the index module 200.

The container 10 accommodates semiconductor substrates such as a wafer (W). As the container 10, a sealed container is used to protect the substrate W from foreign substances or chemical contamination in the air, and a front opening integrated pod can be used.

The container 10 has a body 12 having an open space on one side and a door 14 that opens and closes it. A plurality of slots 12a in which a portion of the edge of the substrate W is inserted may be provided on the inner wall of the body 12 side by side. A plate spring may be installed on the inner wall of the door 14 to apply a certain pressure to the wafers W in the container 10 with the door 14 closed.

The transfer frame 210 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the rear wall 202 adjacent to the process processing module 1000 among the side walls is formed with an inlet 202a, which is a passage for transferring the substrate W, and the rear wall 202 ) And an opening is formed in the front wall 204 facing each other. A mounting groove 205 is formed in the front wall 204, and the mounting groove 205 may be formed to be inclined downward toward the upper surface of the container 10 on the load port 100.

A fan filter unit 240 is installed at an upper portion of the transfer frame 210 to maintain the interior of the transfer frame 210 with a certain cleanliness, and an exhaust port 206 which is an exhaust passage of air is formed at the lower portion of the transfer frame 210. In the transport frame 210, a transport robot 220 for transporting the wafer W between the container 10 and the process processing module 1000 is installed. In addition, the transport frame 210 detects the state of the substrates stored in the slots 12a of the container 10 placed in the load port 100 and the door opener 180 that opens and closes the door of the container 10. The mapping unit 190 may be installed.

The transfer robot 220 has a hand 221 that unloads the substrate W.

The light emitting unit 260 is disposed in the transfer frame 210 and irradiates light in the transfer frame 210. The light emitting unit 260 may be disposed above the transfer frame 210. The light emitting unit 260 may be a laser unit that irradiates a laser, but is not limited thereto, and may be configured as a unit capable of irradiating various light such as infrared rays.

The imaging unit 270 images the inside of the transfer frame 210 to generate imaging data. The imaging unit 270 is disposed inside the transfer frame 210 and may be disposed on the opposite side of the light emitting unit 260. The imaging unit 270 may be disposed above the transfer frame 210. When the light emitting unit 260 is provided as a laser unit, the imaging unit 270 may capture scattered light generated by the laser scattering on particles in the transfer frame 210. That is, when the laser hits the particle, scattering of the laser occurs, and accordingly, scattered light is generated. The imaging unit 270 captures the inside of the transfer frame 210 including the scattered light so that the detection unit 280 detects the particle. Make it detectable.

The detection unit 280 detects the occurrence of particles in the transfer frame 210 using the imaging data received from the imaging unit 270. Specifically, the detection unit 280 may determine that a particle is generated in the transfer frame 210 when noise or the like that does not exist in a normal state is detected in an image captured inside the transfer frame 210. In addition, the detection unit 280, after detecting the particles from the imaging data received from the imaging unit 270, based on the detected position and movement path of the particle to detect the region where the particle occurred in the transfer frame 210 Can. For example, in the image data, when a particle moves from the upper side to the lower side in the transfer frame 210 with time, it may be determined that the particle is generated in the upper region of the transfer frame 210. As another example, in the image data, when a particle moves from left to right in the transfer frame 210 with time, it may be determined that the particle is generated in the left region of the transfer frame 210. However, the above examples merely describe some of various embodiments in which the detection unit 280 determines the region where the particle is generated, but are not limited thereto, and the detection unit 280 considers the detection location and the movement path of the particle. In this way, it is possible to determine the region where the particle has occurred in various ways.

Also, when the number of particles is greater than or equal to a predetermined value in a specific area, the detection unit 280 may determine that the particle exists in the specific area. That is, since the captured image data may include noise, it is determined that the particles are generated only when a certain number of particles are present in a specific region, and thus it is possible to prevent a particle detection error due to noise. Here, the specific region may be a circular region having a radius of a predetermined size. For example, referring to FIG. 3, when a particle is detected in the imaging data, the detection unit 280 sets a circle area A having a radius of a predetermined size around the detected particle, and determines a particle area in the circle area. When more than a set number of particles are detected, it may be determined that particle generation is detected in the transfer frame 210. However, the circle area for detecting the number of particles may be provided in an elliptical shape (B), or may be provided in various shapes such as a triangle, a square, and not a circle. In addition, the detection unit 280 may calculate the moving speed of the particles using the imaging data, and detect the type of the particles based on the moving speed of the particles. For example, when the moving speed of the particle is relatively fast, it may be determined that the particle is made of a light material, and accordingly, the particle type may be detected. The detection unit 280 may also consider the type of the particle when determining the region where the particle has occurred.

Referring to FIG. 2 again, when the particle generation is detected in the detection unit 280, the exhaust device 290 exhausts the inside of the transfer frame 210. The exhaust device 290 may adjust the exhaust amount in consideration of the amount of particles detected by the detection unit 280. For example, when the particle generation is not detected in the detection unit 280, the exhaust device 290 exhausts the transfer frame 210 with the first displacement, and the amount of particles detected by the detection unit 280 is determined. When it is equal to or greater than the set value, the inside of the transfer frame 210 may be exhausted with the second displacement. Here, the second displacement may be greater than the first displacement. In addition, the exhaust device 290 may adjust the exhaust amount based on a region where particles are generated in the transfer frame 210 detected by the detection unit 280. For example, the exhaust device 290 may greatly control the amount of exhaust as the area where the particle is generated is positioned above the transfer frame 210. In addition, when the particles detected by the detection unit 280 are made of a heavy material, the exhaust device 290 may greatly control the displacement.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a detection method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4, first, light in the transfer frame is irradiated (S410). Subsequently, the inside of the transport frame is captured to generate imaging data (S420), and the generation of particles in the transport frame is sensed using the imaging data (S430). In this case, a particle can be detected from the captured image data, and an area where the particle has occurred in the transport frame can be detected based on the detected position and movement path of the particle. In addition, in step S430, the detection of particle generation may determine that the particle has occurred when the number of particles is greater than or equal to a predetermined value in a specific region. Here, the specific region may be a circular region having a radius of a predetermined size, but is not limited thereto, and may be set to various shapes such as an elliptical shape, a triangular shape, and a rectangular shape. In addition, the moving speed of the particles can be calculated, and the type of particles can be detected based on the calculated moving speed of the particles. Further, the laser may be irradiated in the transfer frame in step S410, and the imaging data in step S420 may be generated by imaging the scattered light generated by the laser being scattered by particles. In step S430, when particle generation is detected, the inside of the transfer frame may be exhausted.

According to various embodiments of the present invention as described above, imaging the inside of the transfer frame to detect the occurrence of particles in the transfer frame, and detecting the region where the particles are generated in the transfer frame, can facilitate the removal of particles in the transfer frame .

The above description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may make various modifications and variations without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical spirit of the present invention, but to explain, and the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical spirits within the equivalent range should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

1: substrate processing apparatus 10: container
100: load port 200: index module
210: transfer frame 220: transfer robot
260: light emitting unit 270: imaging unit
280: detection unit 290: exhaust system

Claims (16)

In the apparatus for processing a substrate,
Index module; And
It includes a process processing module for processing the substrate;
The index module,
A load port on which the container on which the substrate is stored is placed;
It is disposed between the load port and the process processing module and has a transfer frame having a transfer space;
The transfer frame,
A transport robot having a hand on which the substrate is placed and transporting the substrate;
A light emitting unit disposed in the transport frame to irradiate light in the transport frame;
An imaging unit imaging the inside of the transfer frame to generate imaging data; And
And a detection unit that detects generation of particles in the transfer frame using the imaging data received from the imaging unit. According to claim 1,
The detection unit,
A substrate processing apparatus that detects a particle from the captured data and detects an area where the particle occurs in the transport frame based on the detected position and movement path of the particle. According to claim 2,
The detection unit,
If the number of particles is greater than or equal to a predetermined value in a specific area, the substrate processing apparatus determines that the particle exists in the specific area. According to claim 3,
The specific region is a substrate processing apparatus that is a circular region having a radius of a predetermined size. According to claim 2,
The detection unit,
A substrate processing apparatus for calculating the movement speed of the particles and detecting the type of the particles based on the calculated movement speed of the particles. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The light emitting unit includes a laser unit that irradiates a laser in the transfer frame,
The imaging unit is a substrate processing apparatus for imaging scattered light generated by the laser being scattered by the particles. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
And an exhaust device configured to exhaust the inside of the transfer frame when the particle generation is detected in the detection unit. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The light emitting unit and the imaging unit are located on an upper side of the transfer frame in the transfer frame. The method of claim 8,
The light emitting unit and the imaging unit are located on opposite sides of each other in the transfer frame. In a device provided with a transport robot for transporting a substrate from a container placed on a load port to a processing module for processing the substrate, the method for detecting the occurrence of particles in a transport frame in which the transport robot is located,
Irradiating light in the transfer frame,
The inside of the transfer frame is imaged to generate imaged data,
A detection method for detecting the occurrence of particles in the transfer frame using the imaging data. The method of claim 10,
To detect the particle generation,
A detection method of detecting a particle from the captured image data and detecting an area where the particle occurs in the transport frame based on the detected position and movement path of the particle. The method of claim 11,
To detect the particle generation,
When the number of particles is greater than or equal to a predetermined value in a specific area, a detection method for determining that a particle has occurred in the specific area. The method of claim 12,
The specific area is a sensing method that is a circular area having a radius of a predetermined size. The method of claim 11,
To detect the particle generation,
A sensing method for calculating the moving speed of the particles and detecting the type of the particles based on the calculated moving speed of the particles. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 14,
The light irradiated in the transport frame is a laser,
The imaging data is a detection method generated by imaging the scattered light generated by the laser scattered by the particles. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 14,
When the particle generation is detected, a detection method for evacuating the inside of the transfer frame.

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