KR20210031951A - Substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique for appropriately determining the timing of starting the subsequent second processing after the first processing which is a liquid processing. In order to achieve this object, after stopping the supply of the first processing liquid, the upper surface of the substrate is imaged with a camera. An interference fringe is detected by detecting the extreme value point in the radial direction of the luminance (light intensity) in the judgment area of the captured image acquired by the camera. When an interference fringe to be detected is detected, the timing determination unit determines a timing to start the second process.

Description

Substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a technology for processing a substrate, and more particularly, to a technology for processing a substrate with a processing liquid. Substrates to be processed include, for example, FPD (Flat Panel Display) substrates such as semiconductor substrates, liquid crystal displays, and organic EL (Electroluminescence) displays, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, and magneto-optical disks. Substrates, photomask substrates, ceramic substrates, solar cell substrates, and printed circuit boards are included.

In semiconductor manufacturing, a first treatment in which the surface of a semiconductor substrate is treated with a predetermined liquid is first performed, and then another second treatment is sometimes performed on the semiconductor substrate. For example, Patent Document 1 describes that a semiconductor substrate having a fine pattern on its surface is treated with a hydrophobic agent to suppress collapse of a fine pattern. More specifically, first, the semiconductor substrate is treated with a liquid PGMEA (propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate), and then the semiconductor substrate is treated with a hydrophobic agent.

In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for suppressing collapse of a resist pattern during drying of a substrate by high-speed rotation. Specifically, the substrate on which the resist pattern is formed is first subjected to a liquid treatment in which a rinse liquid is supplied as a first treatment, and then, as a second treatment, a drying treatment in which the substrate is rotated at high speed to dry it. In Patent Document 2, after the supply of the rinse liquid is completed, controlling the rotational speed of the substrate according to the expansion of the drying area on the main surface of the substrate toward the outer circumference from the center of the substrate, furthermore, detecting the position of the boundary of the drying area It is described that the change in the interference fringe is measured and carried out.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2010-114414 Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-335542

In general, the thickness of the liquid film of the first treatment liquid supplied to the substrate in the first treatment may have an influence on the subsequent second treatment. For example, in the case of Patent Document 1, PGMEA is supplied to the substrate in the first treatment, and the supply is stopped, and then the hydrophobic agent, which is the second treatment, is supplied to the substrate. At this time, when the liquid film of PGMEA on the substrate is excessively thick, the substitution efficiency for the hydrophobic agent decreases. However, in Patent Literature 1, a technique for supplying a hydrophobic agent at an optimum timing is not disclosed at all.

In addition, in Patent Document 2, it is only described that the control for starting the drying process of the second process is performed by measuring the change of the interference fringe, and a technique for detecting the interference fringe is not disclosed at all. For this reason, it is difficult to appropriately determine the timing to start the drying treatment based on the cited document 2.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for appropriately determining the timing of starting the subsequent second processing after the first processing which is the liquid processing.

In order to solve the above problems, the substrate processing method of the first aspect is a substrate processing method in which an upper surface of a substrate rotating in a horizontal position is treated with a processing liquid, comprising: (a) a step of holding the substrate in a horizontal position, and (b ) A step of rotating the substrate held in a horizontal posture by the step (a) around a rotation axis in a vertical direction, and (c) a first treatment liquid on the upper surface of the substrate rotated by the step (b) A step of supplying, (d) a step of stopping the supply of the first processing liquid after the step (c), and (e) the first remaining on the upper surface of the substrate after the step (d). 1 The process of thinning the film of the processing liquid, (f) a process of photographing the upper surface of the substrate with a camera in the above process (e), and (g) a judgment set in the photographed image acquired by the above process (f) A step of determining a timing for performing a second treatment on the substrate according to an extreme value point at which the light intensity in a radial direction perpendicular to the rotation axis in a region becomes maximum or minimum, and (h) the step and performing the second treatment on the substrate according to the timing determined in (g).

The substrate processing method of the second aspect is the substrate processing method of the first aspect, wherein in the step (h), the second processing is started while the film of the first processing liquid remains on the entire upper surface of the substrate. do.

The substrate processing method of the third aspect is the substrate processing method of the first aspect or the second aspect, wherein the determination area is set on the upper surface of the substrate in the photographed image.

The substrate processing method of the fourth aspect is the substrate processing method of the third aspect, wherein the step (g) is (g1) the time from the detection of one extreme value point in the determination area until the next extreme value point is detected. According to, the process of determining the timing is included.

The substrate processing method of the fifth aspect is the substrate processing method of the fourth aspect, wherein the step (g) is in the determination area (g2) from the detection of the first extreme value to the detection of the second extreme value point. And a step of determining the timing based on a first time and a second time from the detection of the second extreme value to the detection of the third extreme value.

A substrate processing method of a sixth aspect is a substrate processing method of any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the step (g) comprises: (g3) the first extreme value point detected in the determination region and And determining the timing based on the first distance between the second extreme value points that are radially outward from the first extreme value point.

A substrate processing method of a seventh aspect is a substrate processing method of any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the determination region comprises a first determination region and a first determination region radially outward from the first determination region. 2 determination regions are included, and the (g) step is based on (g4) a first extreme value point is detected in the first determination region and a second extreme value point is detected in the second determination region, the timing Including the process of determining.

The substrate processing method of the eighth aspect is the substrate processing method of the seventh aspect, wherein (i) before the step (g), a relative position in the radial direction of the second determination region with respect to the first determination region is determined. The process of changing is additionally included.

The substrate processing method of the ninth aspect is the substrate processing method of the sixth aspect, wherein the step (g) includes (g5) the first distance and the second extreme value point and the second extreme value in the determination region. And determining the timing based on the second distance between the third extreme value points that are radially outward from the point.

The substrate processing method of the tenth aspect is the substrate processing method of any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein the step (g) is (g6) the last of a plurality of extreme value points in the determination region. And a step of determining the timing by counting from the final extreme value points detectable by the method and detecting the three extreme value points.

The substrate processing method of the eleventh aspect is the substrate processing method of any one of the first to tenth aspects, and the camera is an infrared camera.

The substrate processing method of the twelfth aspect is the substrate processing method of the eleventh aspect, wherein the step (f) includes a step of (f1) irradiating an infrared ray on the upper surface of the substrate.

The substrate processing method of the thirteenth aspect is a substrate processing method of any one of the first to twelfth aspects, wherein the second processing is a second processing liquid different from the first processing liquid on the upper surface of the substrate. It is a treatment to supply.

The substrate processing method of the fourteenth aspect is a substrate processing method of any one of the first to twelfth aspects, wherein the second treatment makes the rotational speed of the substrate higher than that in the step (e), and the This is a process of removing the first processing liquid remaining on the upper surface of the substrate.

A substrate processing apparatus of a fifteenth aspect is a substrate processing apparatus that performs a liquid treatment on an upper surface of a substrate rotating in a horizontal posture, comprising a substrate holding unit that holds a substrate in a horizontal position, and a substrate held by the substrate holding unit. A rotation unit that rotates a target substrate around a rotation axis in a vertical direction, a treatment liquid supply unit that supplies a first treatment liquid to an upper surface of the target substrate, a camera that photographs the upper surface of the target substrate, and is acquired by the camera. In the judgment area set in the photographed image, the second processing is performed on the target substrate in accordance with the movement of the extreme value point in the radial direction orthogonal to the rotation axis to the maximum value or the minimum value toward the radial direction outward. A timing determination unit for determining timing, and a second processing execution unit for performing a second process on the target substrate according to the timing determined by the timing determination unit.

The substrate processing apparatus of the sixteenth aspect is the substrate processing apparatus of the fifteenth aspect, wherein the determination region is set on the upper surface of the target substrate in the photographed image.

A substrate processing apparatus of a seventeenth aspect is a substrate processing apparatus of a fifteenth or sixteenth aspect, wherein the timing determination unit includes a feature vector extracting unit for extracting a plurality of types of feature vectors from the photographed image, and the plurality of types of features. And an image determination unit that determines whether or not the photographed image is an image used as a criterion for determining the timing, based on the vector.

According to the substrate processing method of the first aspect, when the supply of the first processing liquid is stopped, the thickness of the liquid film gradually decreases as the first processing liquid is blown off by the rotation of the substrate. At this time, according to the thickness of the liquid film, interference fringes that move outward in the radial direction are generated. This interference fringe corresponds to an extreme value point at which the extreme value of the light intensity is taken. For this reason, by determining the timing at which the second processing is performed based on the extreme value point of the light intensity, the second processing can be started at the timing at which the liquid film of the first processing liquid has an optimum thickness.

According to the substrate processing method of the second aspect, the second processing is started while the first processing liquid remains on the entire upper surface of the substrate. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the progress of drying of the substrate locally.

According to the substrate processing method of the third aspect, the determination area is set on the upper surface of the substrate in the captured image. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the detection accuracy of the extreme value point corresponding to the interference fringe occurring on the upper surface of the substrate.

According to the substrate processing method of the fourth aspect, the degree of progression of thinning can be detected from the difference in time between the two extreme value points passing through the determination region. For this reason, the start timing of the second process is determined.

According to the substrate processing method of the fifth aspect, by calculating the first time and the second time, it is possible to determine whether or not an interference fringe as a detection target has appeared.

According to the substrate processing method of the sixth aspect, by calculating the first distance, it is possible to determine whether or not an interference fringe to be detected has appeared.

According to the substrate processing method of the seventh aspect, by setting the first determination region and the second determination region separated by an appropriate distance in the radial direction, and detecting interference fringes within these determination regions, the interference fringes of the inspection object It can be determined whether or not appears.

According to the substrate processing method of the eighth aspect, the relative position of the second determination region with respect to the first determination region can be changed in the radial direction. Thereby, the first extreme value point and the second extreme value point, which are indexes of timing determination of the second process, can be simultaneously detected in, for example, each of the first determination region and the second determination region.

According to the substrate processing method of the ninth aspect, by acquiring the first distance and the second distance, it is possible to determine whether or not an interference fringe to be detected has appeared.

According to the substrate processing method of the tenth aspect, it is possible to determine the timing at which the second processing is performed in a step before the thickness of the liquid film of the first processing liquid becomes thinner at which interference fringes cannot be detected.

According to the substrate processing method of the eleventh aspect, by detecting infrared rays, the light intensity corresponding to the interference fringe can be appropriately detected.

According to the substrate processing method of the twelfth aspect, by irradiating infrared rays, the light intensity corresponding to the interference fringe can be appropriately detected.

According to the substrate processing method of the thirteenth aspect, the second processing liquid can be supplied when the first processing liquid becomes a target thinner. For this reason, since the replacement from the first processing liquid to the second processing liquid can be performed quickly, the amount of the second processing liquid used can be reduced.

According to the substrate processing method of the fourteenth aspect, the rotational speed of the substrate is increased when the first processing liquid becomes a target thinner. It is possible to suppress uneven processing of the substrate with the first processing liquid remaining in a large amount.

According to the substrate processing apparatus of the fifteenth aspect, when the supply of the first processing liquid is stopped, the first processing liquid is shaken by the rotation of the substrate, so that the thickness of the liquid film gradually decreases. At this time, according to the thickness of the liquid film, interference fringes that move outward in the radial direction are generated. This interference fringe corresponds to an extreme value point at which the extreme value of the light intensity is taken. For this reason, by determining the timing at which the second processing is performed based on the extreme value point of the light intensity, the second processing can be started at the timing at which the liquid film of the first processing liquid has an optimum thickness.

According to the substrate processing apparatus of the sixteenth aspect, an interference fringe appearing on a substrate can be detected.

1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 100 according to a first embodiment.
2 is a schematic plan view of the cleaning processing unit 1 according to the first embodiment.
3 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the cleaning processing unit 1 according to the first embodiment.
4 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the camera 70 and the nozzle 30 as a movable part.
5 is a block diagram of the camera 70 and the control unit 9.
6 is a diagram showing an example of a flow of substrate processing in one cleaning processing unit 1 of the substrate processing apparatus 100.
7 is a diagram showing captured images 82a, 82b, 82c, and 82d at each timing during a transition from a first process to a second process.
8 is a diagram showing a first detection pattern of an interference fringe ST.
9 is a diagram showing a second detection pattern of the interference fringe ST.
10 is a diagram showing a third detection pattern of the interference fringe ST.
11 is a diagram showing a flow of processing for determining a second processing start timing.
12 is a diagram showing a setting screen SW1 for setting a condition for detecting an interference fringe ST.
13 is a diagram showing a substrate processing apparatus 100A according to a second embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the constituent elements described in this embodiment are examples only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to them. In the drawings, for ease of understanding, the dimensions and numbers of each part are exaggerated or simplified as necessary in some cases.

Expressions representing relative or absolute positional relationships (e.g., ``in one direction'' ``along one direction'' ``parallel'' ``orthogonal'' ``center'' ``concentric'' ``coaxial'', etc.) It is assumed that it is not only expressed strictly, but also a state in which a tolerance or a displaced state with respect to an angle or distance within a range in which a function of the same degree is obtained. Expressions indicating that they are in an equivalent state (for example, ``same'', ``equal'', ``homogeneous'', etc.), unless otherwise stated, not only quantitatively indicate a strictly equivalent state, but also a tolerance or a difference in which functions of the same degree are obtained. It is assumed that the state to be performed is also indicated. Expressions representing shapes (for example, ``rectangular shape'' or ``cylindrical shape'', etc.), unless otherwise noted, not only express the shape strictly geometrically, but also provide an example within the range in which the same degree of effect can be obtained. For example, it is assumed that a shape having irregularities, chamfers, and the like is also shown. The expressions “have”, “have,” “have,” “include,” or “have” one component are not exclusive expressions excluding the existence of other components. Unless otherwise noted, the term "above" includes a case where two elements are in contact, and a case where two elements are separated.

<1. First embodiment>

1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 100 according to a first embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 100 is a single wafer type processing apparatus that processes a substrate (also referred to as a target substrate) W as a processing target one by one. The substrate processing apparatus 100 performs a drying treatment after performing a cleaning treatment using a rinse liquid such as a chemical liquid and pure water with respect to the substrate W which is a circular thin-plate-shaped silicon substrate. As the chemical liquid, for example, SC1 (ammonia-hydrogen peroxide mixture), SC2 (hydrochloric hydrogen peroxide mixed water solution: hydrochloric hydrogen peroxide mixed water solution), DHF liquid (dilute hydrofluoric acid), and the like are used. In the following description, the chemical liquid and the rinse liquid are collectively referred to as "treatment liquid" in some cases. In addition, the substrate processing apparatus 100 supplies a coating liquid such as a photoresist liquid for film formation treatment, a chemical liquid for removing unnecessary films, or a chemical liquid for etching, not a cleaning treatment, to perform a wet treatment on the substrate. It may be configured. In short, the substrate processing apparatus 100 may be, for example, an apparatus that performs a liquid treatment on the upper surface of the substrate W rotating in a horizontal posture. The liquid treatment is a treatment using a treatment liquid for the substrate W.

The substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a plurality of cleaning processing units 1, an indexer 102, and a main transfer robot 103.

The indexer 102 conveys the substrate W to be processed received from the outside of the apparatus (substrate processing apparatus 100) into the apparatus (substrate processing apparatus 100), and the processed substrate W on which the cleaning process has been completed. Out of the apparatus (substrate processing apparatus 100). The indexer 102 is equipped with a transfer robot (not shown) while placing a plurality of carriers (not shown). As a carrier, a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) or SMIF (Standard Mechanical InterFace) pod that accommodates the substrate W in an enclosed space, or an OC (Open Cassette) that exposes the substrate W to outside air may be employed. . The transfer robot transfers the substrate W between the carrier and the main transfer robot 103.

The cleaning processing unit 1 performs liquid processing and drying processing on one substrate W. Twelve cleaning processing units 1 are disposed in the substrate processing apparatus 100. Specifically, four towers including three cleaning processing units 1 each stacked in a vertical direction are arranged so as to surround the main transport robot 103. In FIG. 1, one of the washing processing units 1 overlapped in three stages is schematically shown. In addition, the number of cleaning processing units 1 in the substrate processing apparatus 100 is not limited to 12, and may be appropriately changed.

The main transfer robot 103 is installed in the center of the four towers in which the washing processing units 1 are stacked. The main transfer robot 103 carries the substrate W to be processed received from the indexer 102 into each cleaning processing unit 1. Moreover, the main conveyance robot 103 carries out the processed substrate W from each cleaning processing unit 1, and delivers it to the indexer 102.

<Washing processing unit (1)>

Hereinafter, one of the 12 cleaning processing units 1 mounted on the substrate processing apparatus 100 will be described, but the arrangement relationship of the nozzles 30, 60, 65 is different for the other cleaning processing units 1 as well. Other than that, it has the same configuration.

2 is a schematic plan view of the cleaning processing unit 1 according to the first embodiment. 3 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the cleaning processing unit 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the substrate W is not held by the spin chuck 20, and FIG. 3 shows a state in which the substrate W is held by the spin chuck 20.

The cleaning processing unit 1 includes a spin chuck 20 that holds the substrate W in a horizontal posture (a posture in which the surface normal of the substrate W follows a vertical direction) in the chamber 10, and a spin chuck ( 20) three nozzles (also referred to as treatment liquid supply units) 30, 60, 65 for supplying the treatment liquid to the upper surface of the substrate W held on the substrate W, and a treatment cup surrounding the spin chuck 20 ( 40) and a camera 70 for imaging the space above the spin chuck 20. Further, around the processing cup 40 in the chamber 10, a partition plate 15 is formed that divides the inner space of the chamber 10 vertically.

The chamber 10 includes a side wall 11 that surrounds all four sides while following a vertical direction, a ceiling wall 12 that closes the upper side of the side wall 11, and an upper wall 13 that closes the lower side of the side wall 11 It is equipped with. The space surrounded by the side wall 11, the ceiling wall 12, and the upper wall 13 becomes a processing space of the substrate W. In addition, in a part of the side wall 11 of the chamber 10, the main transport robot 103 opens and closes a carry-in port for carrying the substrate W into and out of the chamber 10 and its carrying-in port (both not shown). Shutters are formed.

On the ceiling wall 12 of the chamber 10, a fan filter unit (FFU) 14 for further purifying the air in the clean room in which the substrate processing apparatus 100 is installed and supplying it to the processing space in the chamber 10 It is equipped. The FFU 14 is provided with a fan and a filter (for example, a HEPA filter) for introducing air in the clean room and sending it out into the chamber 10. The FFU 14 forms a downflow of clean air in the processing space in the chamber 10. In order to uniformly disperse the clean air supplied from the FFU 14, a punching plate in which a number of injection holes are perforated may be formed just below the ceiling wall 12.

The spin chuck 20 includes a spin base 21, a spin motor 22, a cover member 23, and a rotation shaft 24. The spin base 21 has a disk shape and is fixed in a horizontal posture to an upper end of a rotation shaft 24 extending along the vertical direction. The spin motor 22 is formed below the spin base 21 and rotates the rotation shaft 24. The spin motor 22 rotates the spin base 21 in a horizontal plane via the rotation shaft 24. The cover member 23 has a normal surrounding the spin motor 22 and the rotation shaft 24.

The outer diameter of the disk-shaped spin base 21 is slightly larger than the diameter of the circular substrate W held by the spin chuck 20. Accordingly, the spin base 21 has a holding surface 21a facing the entire lower surface of the lower surface of the substrate W to be held.

A plurality of (four in this embodiment) chuck pins 26 are erected and formed at the periphery of the holding surface 21a of the spin base 21. Each chuck pin 26 is arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential shape corresponding to the outer shape of the outer circumference of the circular substrate W. In this embodiment, four chuck pins 26 are formed at intervals of 90°. Each chuck pin 26 is driven interlockingly by a link mechanism (not shown) accommodated in the spin base 21. The spin chuck 20 holds the substrate W above the spin base 21 by bringing each of the chuck pins 26 into contact with the outer circumferential end of the substrate W and holding the substrate W. It is kept in a horizontal posture close to the surface 21a (see Fig. 3). Further, the spin chuck 20 releases the holding of the substrate W by separating each of the chuck pins 26 from the outer circumferential end of the substrate W. Each chuck pin 26 is a substrate holding portion that holds the substrate W in a horizontal posture.

The cover member 23 covering the spin motor 22 has its lower end fixed to the upper wall 13 of the chamber 10, and its upper end reaches just below the spin base 21. At the upper end of the cover member 23, a flange-like member 25 extending outwardly substantially horizontally from the cover member 23 and bent downward and extending is formed. With the spin chuck 20 holding the substrate W by gripping by the plurality of chuck pins 26, the spin motor 22 as a rotating part rotates the rotation shaft 24, thereby causing the center of the substrate W The substrate W may be rotated around the rotation axis CX along the vertical direction passing through. Further, the drive of the spin motor 22 is controlled by the control unit 9. In the following description, the horizontal direction orthogonal to the rotation axis CX is referred to as a "diameter direction". In addition, the direction toward the rotation axis CX in the radial direction is referred to as "inside the radial direction", and the direction away from the rotation axis CX in the radial direction is referred to as "outside the radial direction".

The nozzle 30 is configured by attaching the discharge head 31 to the tip end of the nozzle arm 32. The base end side of the nozzle arm 32 is fixed to and connected to the nozzle base 33. The nozzle base 33 is rotatable around an axis along the vertical direction by a motor 332 (nozzle moving part, see Fig. 4) formed in the nozzle base 33.

As the nozzle base 33 rotates, as indicated by arrow AR34 in FIG. 2, the nozzle 30 moves the horizontal direction between the position above the spin chuck 20 and the stand-by position outside the processing cup 40. It moves along an arc. Due to the rotation of the nozzle base 33, the nozzle 30 swings above the holding surface 21a of the spin base 21. Specifically, above the spin base 21, it moves to a predetermined processing position TP1 extending in the horizontal direction. In addition, moving the nozzle 30 to the processing position TP1 has the same meaning as moving the discharge head 31 at the tip end of the nozzle 30 to the processing position TP1.

The nozzle 30 is configured to be supplied with a plurality of types of processing liquids (at least containing pure water), and a plurality of types of processing liquids can be discharged from the discharge head 31. Further, a plurality of discharge heads 31 may be formed at the tip end of the nozzle 30, and the same or different treatment liquids may be discharged individually from each of them. The nozzle 30 (in detail, the discharge head 31) stops at the processing position TP1 and discharges the processing liquid. The processing liquid discharged from the nozzle 30 is deposited on the upper surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20.

In addition to the nozzle 30 described above, two nozzles 60 and 65 are formed in the cleaning processing unit 1 of the present embodiment. The nozzles 60 and 65 of the present embodiment have the same or similar configuration as the nozzle 30 described above. That is, the nozzle 60 is configured by attaching a discharge head to the tip end of the nozzle arm 62, and by the nozzle base 63 connected to the proximal end side of the nozzle arm 62, the spin chuck as indicated by arrow AR64 It moves in an arc shape between the processing position above (20) and the standby position outside the processing cup 40. The nozzle 65 is configured by attaching a discharge head to the tip end of the nozzle arm 67, and by a nozzle base 68 connected to the proximal end side of the nozzle arm 67, the spin chuck 20 is shown by an arrow AR69. ), it moves in an arc shape between the processing position above the processing cup 40 and the standby position outside the processing cup 40.

The nozzles 60 and 65 are also configured to be supplied with a plurality of types of processing liquids containing at least pure water, and the nozzles 60 and 65 are also on the upper surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 at the processing position. Discharge the treatment liquid. Further, at least one of the nozzles 60 and 65 may be a two-fluid nozzle that generates droplets by mixing a cleaning liquid such as pure water and a pressurized gas, and injects a mixed fluid of the droplet and gas onto the substrate W. In addition, the number of nozzles formed in the cleaning processing unit 1 is not limited to three, but may be one or more.

It is not essential to move each of the nozzles 30, 60, 65 in an arc shape. For example, you may linearly move a nozzle by providing a direct drive|driving part.

The nozzle 30 is used as a source of various treatment liquids, such as pure water (DIW) as a rinse liquid, water repellent such as IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol: isopropyl alcohol), a silylating agent, and DHF (Dilute HF: a mixture of hydrofluoric acid and pure water). It is connected, and it is assumed that various treatment liquids can be separately discharged from the discharge head 31 at the tip end of the nozzle 30. Further, a plurality of discharge heads 31 may be formed at the tip end of the nozzle 30 so that the respective discharge heads 31 discharge different types of processing liquids. Moreover, the nozzles 60 and 65 may discharge part of the said various processing liquids.

A treatment liquid nozzle 28 is formed along the vertical direction with the inner side of the rotating shaft 24 inserted therethrough. The upper end opening of the lower surface treatment liquid nozzle 28 is formed at a position opposite to the center of the lower surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20. The lower surface treatment liquid nozzle 28 is also configured to supply a plurality of treatment liquids. The processing liquid discharged from the lower surface treatment liquid nozzle 28 is deposited on the lower surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20.

The processing cup 40 surrounding the spin chuck 20 is provided with an inner cup 41, an intermediate cup 42, and an outer cup 43 that can be moved up and down independently of each other. The inner cup 41 has a shape that is substantially rotationally symmetric with respect to a rotation axis CX that surrounds the spin chuck 20 and passes through the center of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20. This inner cup 41 includes an annular bottom portion 44, a cylindrical inner wall portion 45 erected upward from the inner peripheral edge of the bottom portion 44, and the bottom portion 44 in plan view. It is erected from between the cylindrical outer wall portion 46 and the inner wall portion 45 and the outer wall portion 46 erected upward from the outer peripheral edge, and the upper end portion is held on the center side (spin chuck 20) while drawing a smooth arc. A first guide portion 47 extending obliquely upward) and a circle erected upward from between the first guide portion 47 and the outer wall portion 46 An ordinary heavy wall portion 48 is provided integrally.

The inner wall portion 45 is accommodated by maintaining an appropriate gap between the cover member 23 and the flange-like member 25 in a state in which the inner cup 41 is most raised. The middle wall portion 48 is between the second guide portion 52 to be described later of the middle cup 42 and the treatment liquid separation wall 53 in a state where the inner cup 41 and the middle cup 42 are closest to each other. It is accommodated by maintaining a suitable gap.

The first guide portion 47 has an upper end portion 47b that obliquely extends upwardly toward the center side (direction closer to the rotation axis CX of the substrate W) while drawing a smooth arc. Further, between the inner wall portion 45 and the first guide portion 47, a waste groove 49 for collecting and discarding the used treatment liquid is formed. Between the first guide portion 47 and the heavy wall portion 48 is an annular inner recovery groove 50 for collecting and recovering the used treatment liquid. Further, between the middle wall portion 48 and the outer wall portion 46, an annular outer recovery groove 51 for collecting and recovering a processing liquid having a different type from the inner recovery groove 50 is formed.

An exhaust liquid mechanism (not shown) is connected to the waste groove 49 for discharging the treatment liquid collected in the waste groove 49 and forcibly exhausting the inside of the waste groove 49. Four exhaust liquid mechanisms are formed at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the waste groove 49, for example. In addition, in the inner recovery groove 50 and the outer recovery groove 51, the treatment liquid collected in the inner recovery groove 50 and the outer recovery groove 51, respectively, is recovered in a recovery tank formed outside the substrate processing apparatus 100. A recovery mechanism (all not shown) for the following is connected. Further, the bottom portions of the inner recovery groove 50 and the outer recovery groove 51 are inclined by a small angle with respect to the horizontal direction, and a recovery mechanism is connected to the lowest position. Thereby, the processing liquid flowing into the inner recovery groove 50 and the outer recovery groove 51 is recovered smoothly.

The intermediate cup 42 has a shape that is substantially rotationally symmetric with respect to a rotation axis CX that surrounds the spin chuck 20 and passes through the center of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20. This intermediate cup 42 has a second guide portion 52 and a cylindrical treatment liquid separation wall 53 connected to the second guide portion 52.

The second guide portion 52, on the outside of the first guide portion 47 of the inner cup 41, has a lower end portion 52a coaxially cylindrical with the lower end portion of the first guide portion 47, and a lower end portion 52a. ) While drawing a smooth arc from the upper end of the center side (direction closer to the rotation axis (CX) of the substrate (W)), the upper end portion 52b extending obliquely upward and the tip end of the upper end portion 52b are folded downward. It has a folding part 52c formed by folding. The lower end portion 52a maintains an appropriate gap between the first guide portion 47 and the middle wall portion 48 in the state in which the inner cup 41 and the middle cup 42 are closest to each other, and is in the inner recovery groove 50. Is accepted. In addition, the upper end portion 52b is formed so as to overlap the upper end portion 47b of the first guide portion 47 of the inner cup 41 in the vertical direction, and the inner cup 41 and the intermediate cup 42 are closest to each other. In this, the first guide portion 47 is brought close to the upper end portion 47b by maintaining an extremely minute interval. The folded back portion 52c is in a state in which the inner cup 41 and the intermediate cup 42 are closest to each other, and the folded back portion 52c is horizontal with the tip end of the upper end portion 47b of the first guide portion 47 Overlap in the direction.

The upper end part 52b of the 2nd guide part 52 is formed so that the thickness may become thicker as it goes downward. The treatment liquid separation wall 53 has a cylindrical shape formed so as to extend downward from the lower outer peripheral edge portion of the upper end portion 52b. The treatment liquid separation wall 53 maintains an appropriate gap between the middle wall portion 48 and the outer cup 43 in a state in which the inner cup 41 and the middle cup 42 are closest to each other, and the outer recovery groove 51 Are accommodated within.

The outer cup 43 has a shape that is substantially rotationally symmetric with respect to the rotation axis CX passing through the center of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20. The outer cup 43 surrounds the spin chuck 20 on the outside of the second guide portion 52 of the intermediate cup 42. This outer cup 43 has a function as a third guide. The outer cup 43 is at the center side (substrate W) while drawing a smooth arc from the upper end of the lower end portion 43a and the lower end portion 43a coaxially with the lower end portion 52a of the second guide portion 52 It has an upper end portion 43b extending obliquely upward) and a foldable portion 43c formed by bending the tip end portion of the upper end portion 43b downward.

The lower end portion 43a is between the treatment liquid separation wall 53 of the intermediate cup 42 and the outer wall portion 46 of the inner cup 41 in a state where the inner cup 41 and the outer cup 43 are closest to each other. It is accommodated in the outer recovery groove 51 by maintaining an appropriate gap. The upper end portion 43b is formed so as to overlap the second guide portion 52 of the intermediate cup 42 in the vertical direction, and in a state where the intermediate cup 42 and the outer cup 43 are closest to each other, the second guide portion ( 52) to the upper end portion 52b by maintaining an extremely minute distance. In the state in which the intermediate cup 42 and the outer cup 43 are closest to each other, the fold-back portion 43c overlaps the fold-back portion 52c of the second guide portion 52 in the horizontal direction.

The inner cup 41, the middle cup 42, and the outer cup 43 can be moved up and down independently of each other. That is, each of the inner cup 41, the middle cup 42, and the outer cup 43 is individually provided with an elevating mechanism (not shown), whereby the inner cup 41, the middle cup 42, and the outer cup The cup 43 is individually raised and lowered independently. As such an elevating mechanism, various known mechanisms such as a ball screw mechanism or an air cylinder can be employed.

The partition plate 15 is formed so as to divide the inner space of the chamber 10 vertically around the processing cup 40. The partition plate 15 may be a single plate-like member surrounding the processing cup 40, or a plurality of plate-like members are bonded to each other. Further, the partition plate 15 may be provided with a through hole and/or a notch penetrating in the thickness direction, and in this embodiment, the nozzle bases 33, 63, 68 of the nozzles 30, 60, 65 are supported. A through hole for passing through the support shaft is formed.

The outer circumferential end of the partition plate 15 is connected to the side wall 11 of the chamber 10. Further, the end edge portion surrounding the processing cup 40 of the partition plate 15 is formed to have a circular shape having a larger diameter than the outer diameter of the outer cup 43. Therefore, there is no case that the partition plate 15 becomes an obstacle to the lifting of the outer cup 43.

In addition, an exhaust duct 18 is formed in the vicinity of the upper wall 13 as a part of the side wall 11 of the chamber 10. The exhaust duct 18 is connected in communication with an exhaust mechanism not shown. Among the clean air supplied from the fan filter unit 14 and flowing through the chamber 10, the air that has passed between the treatment cup 40 and the partition plate 15 is discharged from the exhaust duct 18 to the outside of the apparatus.

4 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the camera 70 and the nozzle 30 as a movable part. The camera 70 is formed above the substrate W in the vertical direction in the vertical direction. The camera 70 includes, for example, a CCD, which is one of solid-state imaging elements, an electronic shutter, and an optical system such as a lens. The imaging direction of the camera 70 (i.e., the optical axis direction of the imaging optical system) is set to be inclined downward toward the rotation center of the upper surface of the substrate W (or the vicinity thereof) in order to image the upper surface of the substrate W. have. The camera 70 includes the entire upper surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 in its field of view. For example, in the horizontal direction, a range surrounded by a broken line in FIG. 2 is included in the field of view of the camera 70. In other words, the two broken lines in FIG. 2 indicate the outer edges of the field of view of the camera 70.

The camera 70 is provided in a position including the vicinity of the discharge head 31 so that at least the tip end of the nozzle 30 at the processing position TP1 is included in the imaging field of view. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the camera 70 is provided at a position where the nozzle 30 in the processing position TP1 is imaged from the front upper side. Therefore, the camera 70 can image the imaging area including the tip end of the nozzle 30 in the processing position TP1. Similarly, the camera 70 is an imaging area including each tip when the nozzles 60 and 65 are in the processing position when processing the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 Take an image. When the camera 70 is installed in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the nozzles 30 and 60 move laterally within the imaging field of the camera 70, so each nozzle at each processing position ( Although the tip of the 30, 60) can be appropriately imaged, the nozzle 65 moves in the depth direction within the field of view of the camera 70, so there is also a possibility that the movement in the vicinity of the processing position cannot be properly imaged. have. In this case, a camera for imaging the nozzle 65 may be provided separately from the camera 70.

The nozzle 30 is a processing position TP1 (a position indicated by a broken line in Fig. 4) above the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 by driving the nozzle base 33 and a processing cup ( 40) It reciprocates between the outside standby position (the solid line position in FIG. 4). The processing position TP1 is a position in which the nozzle 30 discharges a processing liquid onto the upper surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 to perform a cleaning treatment. The processing position TP1 is a position near the center (rotation axis CX) in the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20. The standby position is a position at which the nozzle 30 stops discharging of the processing liquid and waits when not performing the cleaning treatment. The standby position is a position deviated from the upper side of the spin base 21 and is a position outside the processing cup 40 in a horizontal plane. At the standby position, a standby pod for accommodating the discharge head 31 of the nozzle 30 may be formed.

In addition, the processing position TP1 may be an arbitrary position, such as a position near the edge of the substrate W, and further, the processing position TP1 is a position away from the substrate W (that is, the substrate W). And the position in a state that does not overlap in the vertical direction) may be used. In the latter case, the processing liquid discharged from the nozzle 30 may be scattered on the upper surface of the substrate W from the outside of the substrate W. In addition, it is not essential to discharge the processing liquid from the nozzle 30 in the state where the nozzle 30 is stopped at the processing position TP1. For example, while discharging the processing liquid from the nozzle 30, the processing position TP1 is set at one end, and in a predetermined processing section extending in the horizontal direction above the substrate W, the nozzle 30 You may move it.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the chamber 10, the illumination part 71 is formed in the position above the partition plate 15. As shown in FIG. The lighting unit 71 includes, for example, an LED lamp as a light source. The illumination unit 71 supplies illumination light required for the camera 70 to image the interior of the chamber 10 to the processing space. When the chamber 10 is a dark room, the control unit 9 controls the illumination unit 71 so that the illumination unit 71 irradiates light to the nozzles 30, 60, 65 when the camera 70 performs imaging. do. The illumination unit 71 irradiates visible light as illumination light. However, illumination light is not limited to visible light. As the irradiation light, for example, infrared rays having a wavelength of about 0.7 micrometers (µm) to 1 millimeter (mm), more preferably near infrared rays having a wavelength of about 0.7 µm to 2.5 µm may be employed. In this case, as the camera 70, an infrared camera equipped with an infrared sensor that detects infrared rays (more preferably, near infrared rays) can be employed. By detecting infrared rays, the interference fringes can be preferably detected.

5 is a block diagram of the camera 70 and the control unit 9. The configuration as hardware of the control unit 9 formed in the substrate processing apparatus 100 is the same as that of a general computer. That is, the control unit 9 includes a CPU that performs various arithmetic processing, a ROM that is a read-only memory that stores basic programs, a RAM that is a memory that is free to read and write to store various information, and control software (program) and data. It is equipped with a magnetic disk to be memorized. When the CPU of the control unit 9 executes a predetermined processing program, the operation of each element of the substrate processing apparatus 100 is controlled by the control unit 9, and the processing in the substrate processing apparatus 100 proceeds.

The determination area setting unit 91 and the timing determination unit 92 shown in Fig. 5 are functions realized by the CPU of the control unit 9 operating according to the control software.

The determination area setting unit 91 sets the determination area DR on the captured image 82 acquired by the camera 70. The size, position, number, etc. of the determination area DR may be determined in advance or may be set based on the operator's designation.

The timing determination unit 92 detects the interference fringes ST appearing on the upper surface of the substrate W after the preceding processing (first processing) of processing the substrate W with a liquid, thereby performing a subsequent processing (second processing). The time to start the process (hereinafter, also referred to as "second process start timing") is determined. The first processing is a processing of supplying the first processing liquid to the upper surface of the rotating substrate W. As described later, the timing determination unit 92 detects each interference fringe ST in the determination area DR set in the captured image 82. In addition, as described later, the detection of the interference fringe ST in the determination region DR is performed by the extreme value point detection unit 921 provided in the timing determination unit 92 detecting the extreme value point of the luminance value.

The control unit 9 includes a storage unit 96 including the above-described RAM or magnetic disk. The storage unit 96 stores image data obtained by the camera 70 and an operator's input value.

A display unit 97 and an input unit 98 are connected to the control unit 9. The display unit 97 displays various types of information in accordance with an image signal from the control unit 9. The input unit 98 is composed of an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse connected to the control unit 9, and accepts an input operation performed by an operator to the control unit 9.

<Description of operation>

6 is a diagram showing an example of a flow of substrate processing in one cleaning processing unit 1 of the substrate processing apparatus 100. Each step described below is assumed to be performed under the control of the control unit 9 unless otherwise noted.

First, in a state in which the nozzle 30 is in the retracted position, the substrate W as the processing target received from the indexer 102 by the main transfer robot 103 is placed in the chamber 10 of any one cleaning processing unit 1. It is carried in (step S10). The substrate carried into the chamber 10 is placed on each chuck pin 26 of the spin base 21. And, by closing each chuck pin 26, the board|substrate W is held in a horizontal posture. When the substrate W is carried in, rotation of the substrate W is started by the spin motor 22.

Subsequently, the nozzle 30 moves to the processing position TP1 and supplies various processing liquids to the substrate W to perform liquid treatment on the substrate W. Here, first, a hydrofluoric acid treatment of supplying hydrofluoric acid from the nozzle 30 to the upper surface of the substrate W is executed (step S11). The hydrofluoric acid supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W diffuses to the outer edge of the substrate W by the rotation of the substrate W, and the hydrofluoric acid treatment proceeds over the entire substrate W. The period during which hydrofluoric acid is supplied to the substrate W is, for example, 30 seconds. The rotational speed of the substrate W during this period is, for example, 800 rpm (revolution per minute: rotational speed/minute).

After the discharging of hydrofluoric acid from the nozzle 30 is stopped, a rinse liquid process of supplying the rinse liquid DIW from the nozzle 30 to the upper surface of the substrate W is executed (step S12). During the rinse liquid treatment, the rinse liquid is continuously supplied from the nozzle 30 to the upper surface of the rotating substrate W. The rinse liquid supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W is diffused to the outer edge of the substrate W by the rotation of the substrate W. Then, along with the hydrofluoric acid remaining on the upper surface of the substrate W, it is shaken outward in the radial direction from the outer edge portion of the substrate W. The hydrofluoric acid and rinse liquid shaken off from the substrate W are taken up in the treatment cup 40 and disposed of appropriately. The period during which the rinse liquid is supplied to the substrate W is, for example, 30 seconds. In addition, the rotational speed of the substrate W during this period is, for example, 1200 rpm.

After discharge of the rinse liquid from the nozzle 30 is stopped, the IPA process of supplying IPA from the nozzle 30 to the upper surface of the substrate W is executed (step S13). In IPA processing, in IPA processing, IPA is continuously supplied from the nozzle 30 to the upper surface of the rotating substrate W. The IPA supplied to the upper surface diffuses to the outer edge of the substrate W by the rotation of the substrate W, and the rinse liquid DIW is replaced with IPA over the entire upper surface (the upper surface of the substrate W). Further, for the purpose of promoting the substitution from DIW to IPA, the substrate W may be subjected to a heat treatment with a heating mechanism not shown. The period during which the IPA is supplied is, for example, 30 seconds. In addition, the rotational speed of the substrate W during this period is, for example, 300 rpm.

After the discharge of IPA from the nozzle 30 is stopped, a water repellent treatment is performed in which a water repellent is supplied from the nozzle 30 to the upper surface of the substrate W (step S14). At this time, the water repellent supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W diffuses to the outer edge of the substrate W by the rotation of the substrate W, and IPA is water-repellent throughout the upper surface (the upper surface of the substrate W). While being replaced with a topic, a water-repellent treatment for modifying the upper surface (the upper surface of the substrate W) to be water-repellent proceeds. The period in which the water repellent is supplied is, for example, 30 seconds. In addition, the rotational speed of the substrate W during this period is, for example, 500 rpm.

After the discharge of the water repellent agent from the nozzle 30 is stopped, the same IPA process as in step S13 is performed (step S15). By this IPA treatment, the water repellent remaining on the upper surface of the substrate W is replaced with the IPA treatment liquid.

After the discharge of IPA from the nozzle 30 is stopped, the nozzle 30 is moved from the processing position TP1 toward the retreat position. Then, the spin drying process is executed (step S16). In the spin-drying process, the spin motor 22 rotates the substrate W at a rotational speed greater than that in each liquid process from step S11 to step S15. The rotational speed at this time is, for example, 1500 rpm. Various liquids adhering to the substrate W by the spin-drying process are scattered outward in the radial direction from the outer peripheral portion (the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W), are taken in from the inner wall of the processing cup 40, and are appropriately waste liquid. In other words, in the spin drying process, the rotational speed of the substrate W is made larger than that during the IPA process, so that IPA as a processing liquid remaining on the upper surface of the substrate W is removed.

When the spin drying process is completed, the holding of the substrate W by each chuck pin 26 is released, and the main transfer robot 103 carries the substrate W out of the chamber 10 (step S17).

As described above, the treatment by the cleaning processing unit 1 is a liquid treatment step (step S11 to step S15) for performing a liquid treatment on the substrate W, and a drying treatment for drying the substrate W. It includes a processing process (step S16).

In the above description, all of the liquid treatments are described as being discharged from the nozzle 30, but some treatment liquids may be discharged from the nozzles 60 and 65. In this case, while moving the nozzles 60 and 65 from the retreat position to the processing position at an appropriate timing, various processing liquids may be discharged from the respective nozzles 60 and 65 to the upper surface of the substrate W.

<About the determination process of the second process start timing>

In the substrate processing apparatus 100, after the liquid treatment using the liquid (first treatment) is completed, and before the next treatment (second treatment) starts, the timing at which the timing determination unit 92 starts the next treatment is determined. Decide. For example, after the discharge of IPA from the nozzle 30 in the IPA process (first process) of step S13 is stopped, the timing determination unit 92 is the next process, water repellent treatment (second process). The second processing start timing at which the discharge of the water repellent agent from the nozzle 30 is started is determined. The timing determination unit 92, as described above, determines the timing at which the timing determination unit 92 executes the next processing in accordance with the detection of the interference fringe ST. Here, the interference fringes ST appearing on the upper surface of the substrate W will be described.

7 is a diagram showing captured images 82a, 82b, 82c, and 82d at each timing during a transition from a first process to a second process. The photographed image 82a shows a state in which the processing liquid is supplied from the nozzle 30 to the upper surface of the substrate W in the first processing. When the processing liquid is supplied from the nozzle 30 or the like to the upper surface of the rotating substrate W, the processing liquid moves the upper surface of the substrate W in a radial direction outward, and from the outer edge of the substrate W in the radial direction Fall or shake outward. At this time, the amount of the processing liquid supplied to the substrate W is balanced with the amount of the processing liquid supplied to the substrate W and the amount that is shaken outward by the rotation of the substrate W. W1) is formed.

The photographed image 82b shows the state of the W upper surface of the substrate when a predetermined time has elapsed after the supply of the processing liquid from the nozzle 30 is stopped. In the state where the liquid film W1 is formed, when the supply of the treatment liquid is stopped, the treatment liquid on the surface of the substrate W scatters outward in the radial direction, so that the liquid film W1 (the first remaining on the upper surface of the substrate W) is The film of the treatment liquid) gradually becomes thinner. In the process of decreasing the film thickness, the light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W and the light reflected from the surface of the liquid film W1 interfere. Then, the portions in which the phases of the two lights are coincident are bright band regions, and the portions in which the phases of the two lights are opposite appear as dark band regions, respectively. As shown in the photographed image 82b, bright and dark band regions alternately appear in the radial direction (diameter direction of the substrate W), whereby a pattern of light and dark is observed. Here, one dark band region is referred to as the interference fringe ST. However, a bright band region may be recognized as an interference fringe.

As the substrate W rotates, the processing liquid in the central portion moves toward the outer edge portion. For this reason, in the process of thinning the liquid film W1, each interference fringe ST appears on the substrate W in an annular band shape (loop shape) and moves while being diffused outward in the radial direction. In addition, it cannot be said that the interference fringe ST appears in a complete annular shape.

The photographed image 82c represents the state of the upper surface of the substrate W when time has further elapsed from the state shown in the photographed image 82b. With the passage of time, the interval between the adjacent interference fringes ST in the radial direction (the radial direction of the substrate W) gradually increases. As shown in the photographed image 82c, for example, when the number of interference fringes ST appearing simultaneously on the substrate W is about 3, the substrate W becomes a liquid film W1 having a thickness close to the minimum limit. It becomes covered. When such a patterned state is used as a reference for the start of the next process, the second processing start timing can be appropriately determined by using at least one of the interference fringes (ST) constituting the patterned pattern as a detection target. have.

The photographed image 82d represents the state of the upper surface of the substrate W when a further time elapses from the state shown in the photographed image 82c. In the photographed image 82d, the last interference fringe STL appears on the substrate W. In the area inside the interference fringe (STL), there is a possibility that a dry area without a liquid component is partially generated.

Here, it is assumed that the second treatment performed after the first treatment is a liquid treatment using the second treatment liquid. The second processing liquid is a processing liquid different from the first processing liquid in the first processing, and in the second processing, the second processing liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W. In this case, if the second processing liquid is supplied in a state where the liquid film W1 of the first processing liquid is thick as in the photographed images 82a, 82b, it may take time to replace the first processing liquid with the second processing liquid. There is this. In addition, when the second processing liquid is supplied in a state in which the dry area is partially generated as in the photographed image 82d, the time exposed to the second processing liquid is different for each position of the substrate W, so that the second processing There is a possibility that a deviation may occur.

In addition, when the second treatment is a drying treatment such as a spin drying treatment, when a dry region is partially generated as in the photographed image 82d, the first treatment liquid may be locally present in a small amount. In such a case, there is a possibility that it may take time to turn off even if it shifts to high-speed rotation. For this reason, it may be preferable to start high-speed rotation before the state of the captured image 82d (that is, the state in which the last interference fringe STL appears). In contrast to this, when the liquid film W1 of the first treatment liquid is thick, as in the photographed images 82a, 82b, and shifts to high-speed rotation, a bias occurs in the movement of the first treatment liquid outward in the radial direction. Otherwise, there is a possibility that the inside of the chamber 10 may be contaminated by the shaken treatment liquid colliding with the treatment cup 40 or the like. For this reason, a case where it is preferable to start high-speed rotation after making the thickness of the liquid film W1 as thin as possible is also conceivable.

By appropriately setting the interference fringe ST as a detection target by the timing determination unit 92 in advance according to the processing contents of each of the first processing and the second processing, the timing determination unit 92 sets the timing of starting the second processing. You can decide appropriately. Next, the detection pattern of the interference fringe ST will be described.

<1st detection pattern>

8 is a diagram showing a first detection pattern of an interference fringe ST. The first detection pattern is an aspect in which the determination region setting unit 91 sets one determination region DR11 on the captured image 82. The determination area DR11 is set on the upper surface of the substrate W on which the liquid film W1 is formed on the captured image 82. The position of the determination area DR11 in the vertical direction coincides with the center of the substrate W in the captured image 82. As the interference fringe ST moves outward in the radial direction, the interference fringe ST passes in the horizontal direction of the captured image 82 in the determination area DR11. In short, in the determination area DR11, the interference fringe ST moves outward in the radial direction.

As shown in FIG. 8, the determination area DR11 is set to a size such that it is possible to overlap only with one interference fringe ST as a detection target. For example, the width in the radial direction (the radial direction of the substrate W) of the determination region DR11 (the width in the horizontal direction on the captured image 82) is the radial direction between the adjacent interference fringes ST (the substrate ( W) is smaller than the spacing in the radial direction). In addition, the interval between the interference fringes ST fluctuates according to the thickness of the liquid film W1. For example, in the state where the liquid film W1 is thick as shown in the captured image 82b of FIG. 7, the gap between the interference fringes ST is relatively small, and as shown in the captured image 82c, the liquid film W1 is In the thin state, the spacing between the interference fringes ST is relatively large. The size of the determination area DR11 may be set according to the width between the interference fringes ST when the interference fringes ST to be detected appear.

Here, the region in which the light intensity is relatively weak with respect to the periphery is set as the interference fringe ST. Therefore, when passing through the determination region DR11, the luminance indicating the light intensity in the horizontal direction in the determination region DR11 gradually decreases from the inner side to the outer side in the radial direction, as shown in FIG. 8. Then it grows again. And the point (position) at which the luminance becomes the minimum value corresponds to the point (position) of the substantially center of the interference fringe ST. For this reason, the extreme value point detection unit 921 detects the extreme value point taking the minimum value of the luminance (the minimum value of the light intensity in the radial direction of the substrate W) in the judgment area DR11. The passage of the interference fringe ST can be detected.

Further, when a bright portion (a region having a relatively large light intensity on the captured image 82) is recognized as an interference fringe, a bright (that is, a large light intensity) band-shaped region moves outward in the radial direction. In this case, the extreme value point detection unit 921 detects the extreme value point that becomes the maximum value of the light intensity (luminance) in the radial direction (diameter direction of the substrate W), thereby detecting the bright part in the determination region DR11. You may detect a pattern.

In the case of the first detection pattern, the timing determination unit 92 includes a first detection time when an n-th (n is a natural number) interference fringe ST (first extreme value point) is detected, and an interference fringe generated after the n+1 th (ST) The detection time difference, which is the difference between the second detection time at which the (second extreme value point) is detected, is calculated. Here, the second detection time may be a time when the n+1 th interference fringe ST is detected, or may be a time when the n+2 th interference fringe ST is detected. Since the interval between the interference fringes ST varies according to the thickness of the liquid film W1, it is considered that the detection time difference corresponds to the thickness of the liquid film W1. For example, as the thickness of the liquid film W1 decreases, the detection time difference increases. So, for example, it is sufficient to experimentally determine the optimum detection time difference corresponding to the thickness of the liquid film W1 that is optimal for the start of the second process. Then, when the detection time difference actually detected becomes the optimum detection time, the timing determining unit 92 may determine that the interference fringe ST of the detection object has been detected, and determine the second processing start timing. In other words, for example, according to the detection time difference as the time from which one extreme value point is detected in the determination area DR11 until the next extreme value point is detected, the second processing start timing You may decide. In this way, the timing determination unit 92, for example, in the determination region DR11, the light intensity in the radial direction of the substrate W is directed to the outer side in the radial direction of the extreme value point at which the maximum value or the minimum value becomes the maximum value. According to the movement, the timing of starting the second processing as the timing of performing the second processing on the substrate W can be determined.

Further, based on each detection time of three or more interference fringes ST in the determination area DR11, it may be determined whether or not the interference fringes ST to be detected have been detected. For example, the first detection time difference between the first interference fringe ST (first extreme value point) and the second interference fringe ST (second extreme value point), and the second interference fringe ST (second 2 extreme value points) and the second detection time difference of the third interference fringe ST (third extreme value point) are calculated. Here, for example, the first detection time difference is the first detection time when the first interference fringe (ST) (first extreme value point) is detected and the second interference fringe (ST) (second extreme value point) is detected. Is the difference between the second detection time. The second detection time difference is between the second detection time at which the second interference fringe ST (second extreme value point) is detected and the third detection time at which the third interference fringe ST (third extreme value point) is detected. to be dumped. Then, the second processing start timing may be determined based on the comparison of the first detection time difference and the second detection time difference. More specifically, when the difference between the first detection time difference and the second detection time difference reaches a predetermined value, it is determined that the interference fringe (ST) of the detection target is detected, and the second processing start timing is determined based on that time. Just do it. In other words, for example, after the timing determination unit 92 detects the first interference fringe ST (first extreme value point) in the determination area DR11, the second interference fringe ST ( The first detection time difference as the first time until the second extreme value point is detected, and the third interference fringe ST (third The second processing start timing may be determined based on the second detection time difference as the second time until the extreme value point) is detected. Incidentally, here, the first to third interference fringes ST are counted from the last interference fringes STL corresponding to the last detectable final extreme value points, and an aspect corresponding to the three extreme value points can be considered.

As described above, as the liquid film W1 gradually becomes thinner, that is, as it approaches the appearance time of the last interference fringe STL, the interval between the interference fringes ST gradually increases. Therefore, in the case of the first detection pattern, since the number of frames acquired from passing one interference fringe ST in the determination area DR11 until the next interference fringe ST passes, gradually increases, the detection time difference The measurement accuracy of is improved. Therefore, as the liquid film W1 becomes thinner, the timing determination unit 92 can appropriately determine whether the detection time difference corresponds to the desired film thickness.

In addition, interference fringes ST (e.g., interference fringes (STL) appearing last in the photographed image 82d shown in FIG. 7) occurring in a thin state of the liquid film W1 are shaken in the liquid surface. There is a fear that clear detection may not be possible due to noise such as. Therefore, it is desirable to make the interference fringe ST detectable as clear as possible as a detection object. Further, the time obtained by adding a predetermined delay time to the time when the clear interference fringe ST is detected may be used as the second processing start timing. Thereby, while the interference fringe ST of a detection object can be detected with high precision, the 2nd process can be started after the liquid film W1 becomes a preferable thickness.

<2nd detection pattern>

9 is a diagram showing a second detection pattern of the interference fringe ST. In the second detection pattern, the determination region setting unit 91 sets a plurality of determination regions DR21, DR22, and DR23. In other words, the determination region DR21 as the first determination region, the determination region DR22 as the second determination region radially outward from the determination region DR21, and the determination region DR22 radially outward from the determination region DR22. The judgment area DR23 as the distant third judgment area is set. In the example shown in FIG. 9, three determination areas DR21, DR22, and DR23 are set in order from the inside in the radial direction to the outside in the radial direction. In addition, the number of determination regions DR is not limited to three, but may be two or four or more.

Each of the determination areas DR21, DR22, and DR23 is arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction of the captured image 82. The position of the determination regions DR21, DR22, and DR23 in the vertical direction coincides with the center of the substrate W in the captured image 82. The interference fringe ST passes through each of the determination regions in the order of the determination region DR21, the determination region DR22, and the determination region DR23 by moving radially outward.

Each of the determination areas DR21, DR22, and DR23 is set to a size such that it does not include a plurality of interference fringes ST at the same time, similarly to the determination area DR11 in FIG. 8. For example, the horizontal width of each determination region DR is smaller than the interval in the radial direction between adjacent interference fringes ST.

The interval at which the determination regions DR21, DR22, and DR23 are arranged may be set in accordance with the intervals of the plurality of interference fringes ST to be detected. Specifically, it may be set according to the number of interference fringes ST as detection targets on the upper surface of the substrate W and the interval between each interference fringe ST.

For example, as shown in FIG. 9, when the detection target is three interference fringes ST (interference fringes ST1, ST2, ST3) appearing at intervals shown, the three interference fringes ST Three judgment areas DR21, DR22, and DR23 are arranged according to the interval of. Here, for example, in the radial direction of the substrate W, the distance between the interference fringe ST1 and the interference fringe ST2 radially outward from the interference fringe ST1 becomes the first distance, and the interference fringe An aspect in which the distance between (ST2) and the interference fringe ST3 distant radially outward from the interference fringe ST2 becomes the second distance can be considered. Thereby, in the determination areas DR21, DR22, DR23, three interference fringes ST as detection targets can be simultaneously detected. That is, when the extreme value point detection unit 921 detects the extreme value point taking the minimum value in all of the determination areas DR21, DR22, and DR23, the timing determination unit 92 indicates that each interference fringe ST to be detected has been detected. ) Decides. Further, for example, when the number of determination regions DR is two, the extreme value point detection unit 921 detects the extreme value point as the first extreme value point in the determination region DR21 as the first determination region, When the extreme value point as the second extreme value point is detected in the determination area DR22 as the second determination area, the timing determination unit 92 determines that the interference fringes ST1 and ST2 to be detected are detected. I can. In this aspect, for example, the timing determination unit 92 detects the first extreme value point in the determination region DR21 as the first determination region, and the second extreme value in the determination region DR22 as the second determination region. Based on the detection of the point, it is possible to determine the second processing start timing. In other words, for example, the timing determination unit 92 can determine the second processing start timing based on the first distance between the first extreme value point and the second extreme value point in the radial direction of the substrate W. have.

The position of each determination area DR21, DR22, DR23 may be set arbitrarily by an operator. In this case, for example, a captured image 82 in a state in which each interference fringe ST of the detection target appears, and on the captured image 82, the operator selects the determination areas DR21, DR22, DR23. It is sufficient to move the indicated frame to the position of each interference fringe ST. Thereby, each of the determination areas DR21, DR22, and DR23 can be set at each position at which the respective interference fringes ST of the detection target can be simultaneously detected.

In particular, the three interference fringes ST counted from the last interference fringes STL may be used as the three interference fringes ST1, ST2, and ST3 to be detected. That is, the last interference fringe (STL) is the innermost interference fringe (ST1) to be detected, and the two detection fringes (ST) occurring immediately before the last interference fringe (STL) are the interference fringes (ST2) to be detected, ST3) may be used. In this case, the timing at which the second processing is performed can be determined at a stage prior to the liquid film W1 becoming thinner at which the interference fringe ST becomes undetectable. The last interference fringe (STL) corresponds to the last detectable final extreme value point. In other words, here, for example, in the determination regions DR21, DR22, DR23, counting from the final extreme value point among a plurality of extreme value points and detecting three extreme value points, the last interference fringe (STL) and the last interference The two detection fringes ST occurring immediately before the fringe STL are detected as the three interference fringes ST1, ST2, and ST3, and the second processing start timing can be determined. In this way, the timing determination unit 92 is, for example, the diameter of the extreme value point at which the light intensity in the radial direction of the substrate W becomes a maximum value or a minimum value in the determination regions DR21, DR22, DR23 In accordance with the movement toward the outward direction, it is possible to determine the timing of starting the second processing as the timing of performing the second processing on the substrate W.

<3rd detection pattern>

10 is a diagram showing a third detection pattern of the interference fringe ST. The third detection pattern is that the determination region setting unit 91 sets one determination region RD31 on the captured image 82. The determination area RD31 is a shape extending in the radial direction (the radial direction of the substrate W) (here, a rectangular shape extending in the horizontal direction in the captured image 82). The determination area RD31 is set to a size capable of simultaneously overlapping with a plurality of interference fringes ST as detection targets.

In the third detection pattern, the extreme value point detection unit 921 detects an extreme value point taking a minimum value that is an extreme value in the determination area DR31. The timing determination unit 92 detects the interference fringe ST of the detection target by specifying the extreme value point at which the minimum value is taken in the determination area DR31. Specifically, the timing determination unit 92 detects the interference fringe ST of the detection target based on the distance between extreme value points calculated in the determination region DR31. The distance between extreme value points refers to a distance between points (positions) at which luminance becomes a minimum value in the determination area DR31. The distance between extreme value points includes, for example, a distance (first distance) between a first extreme value point and a second extreme value point radially outward from the first extreme value point. The distance between extreme value points may include, for example, a distance (also referred to as a second distance) between a second extreme value point and a third extreme value point that is radially outward from the second extreme value point. In the example shown in Fig. 10, the detection targets are three interference fringes ST1, ST2, and ST3. In this case, the distances L1 and L2 corresponding to the intervals of the three interference fringes ST1, ST2, and ST3 are set in advance, and the timing determination unit 92 determines each detected in the determination region DR31. It is sufficient to determine whether or not the distance between extreme value points corresponds to L1 and L2. When interference fringes ST1, ST2, and ST3 exist in the determination area DR31, it is determined that the distance between the extreme value points corresponds to L1 and L2, thereby detecting the interference fringes ST1, ST2, and ST3 to be detected. .

Further, the timing determination unit 92 may detect the interference fringe ST as a detection target based on the number of extreme value points detected in the determination area DR31. In the example shown in Fig. 10, the detection targets are three interference fringes ST1, ST2, and ST3. For this reason, when the three extreme value points are detected in the determination area DR31, the timing determination unit 92 may determine that the interference fringes ST1, ST2, and ST3 to be detected have been detected.

The second processing start timing may be determined based on the comparison of the distances L1 and L2 between extreme value points. For example, when the difference in the distances L1 and L2 between extreme value points becomes a predetermined value, it may be determined that the interference fringes ST1, ST2, and ST3 to be detected have been detected. In other words, for example, when the distance L1 between extreme value points as the first distance becomes a predetermined distance, and the distance L2 between extreme value points as the second distance becomes a predetermined distance, It may be determined that the interference fringes ST1, ST2, and ST3 to be detected have been detected. At this time, the timing determination unit 92 can determine the second processing start timing based on the first distance and the second distance. Further, for example, the timing determination unit 92 may determine that the interference fringes ST1 and ST2 to be detected have been detected when the distance L1 between extreme value points as the first distance becomes a predetermined distance. In this case, the timing determination unit 92 can determine the second processing start timing based on the distance L1 between extreme value points as the first distance. Further, for example, the timing determination unit 92 may determine that the interference fringes ST2 and ST3 to be detected have been detected when the distance L2 between extreme value points as the second distance becomes a predetermined distance. At this time, the timing determination unit 92 can determine the second processing start timing based on the distance L2 between extreme values as the second distance. In this way, the timing determination unit 92, for example, in the determination region DR31, according to the extreme value point at which the light intensity in the radial direction of the substrate W becomes a maximum value or a minimum value, the substrate W It is possible to determine the second processing start timing as the timing for performing the second processing for ). In other words, the timing determination unit 92 is, for example, in the determination region DR31, the outer radial direction of the extreme value point at which the light intensity in the radial direction of the substrate W becomes a maximum value or a minimum value. In accordance with the movement toward the substrate W, the timing of starting the second processing as the timing of performing the second processing on the substrate W can be determined.

11 is a diagram showing a flow of processing for determining a second processing start timing. The flow shown in FIG. 11 is the IPA process (FIG. 6: step S13) as the first process, the water repellent treatment (FIG. 6: step S14) as the second process, and the second process start timing (discharge of the water repellent is started. The flow of processing to determine the timing) is shown.

In the IPA process (FIG. 6: Step S13), IPA is supplied from the nozzle 30 to the upper surface of the substrate W (Step S21). During this time, the camera 70 continuously photographs (step S22). Continuous imaging means that the camera continuously captures an imaging area at regular intervals, and for example, continuous imaging may be performed at 33 millisecond intervals. The photographed image 82 obtained by imaging the state of the upper surface of the substrate W is obtained by this continuous photographing.

When continuous imaging is started, the determination region setting unit 91 sets the determination region DR for the acquired captured image 82 (step S23). The determination area DR set in step S23 differs according to the detection pattern of the interference fringe ST as a detection target. For example, in the case of the first detection pattern described in FIG. 8, one determination area DR11 is set for the captured image 82. In addition, for example, in the case of the second detection pattern described in FIG. 9, in the step of setting the determination region DR for the captured image 82, the second determination region DR21 as the first determination region is A process of changing the relative position of the determination region DR22 as the determination region in the radial direction of the substrate W may be included.

In addition, it is not essential that continuous imaging is started while IPA is being ejected. For example, continuous imaging may be performed from the time when the substrate W is carried in to the chamber 10 until it is carried out.

When the determination area DR is set, the supply of IPA from the nozzle 30 to the substrate W is stopped (step S24). At this point in time, the IPA process (Fig. 6: step S13) is completed. As described above, when the supply of IPA is stopped, the IPA on the substrate W is shaken outward in the radial direction by the centrifugal force. Thereby, the liquid film W1 gradually becomes thinner, and the interference fringe ST starts to appear.

The extreme value point detection unit 921 detects an extreme value point taking the minimum value of the luminance in the radial direction in the determination region DR (step S25). Thereby, the interference fringe ST overlapping with the determination area DR is detected as an extreme value point taking a minimum value.

Based on the detection result of the minimum value by the extreme value point detection unit 921, the timing determination unit 92 determines whether or not the interference fringe ST to be detected has been detected (step S26). The specific content of this determination differs depending on the detection pattern of the interference fringe ST. When it is determined that the interference fringe ST to be detected has not been detected (NO in step S26), the process returns to step S25, and the detection of the minimum value is continued.

For example, in the case of the first detection pattern shown in FIG. 8, when the detection time difference between the interference fringes ST detected in the determination region DR11 corresponds to a preset optimal detection time difference, It is determined that the interference fringe ST of the object to be detected has been detected. In addition, in the case of the second detection pattern shown in FIG. 9, when the interference fringe ST is simultaneously detected in the determination areas DR21, DR22, DR23, the interference fringes ST1, which are detection targets, are ST2, ST3) is determined to be detected. In the case of the third detection pattern shown in Fig. 10, the timing determination unit 92 is the distance L1, L2 in which the distance between the extreme value points between the points (positions) where the minimum value is detected in the determination area DR31 is set in advance. When corresponding to, it is determined that the interference fringes ST1, ST2, and ST3 as detection targets have been detected.

Returning to Fig. 11, when the timing determination unit 92 determines that the interference fringe ST of the inspection object has been detected (YES in step S26), the timing determination unit 92 determines the second processing start timing. It does (step S27). The timing determination unit 92 determines the second processing start timing according to the detection completion time at which the detection target interference fringe ST is detected (the time at which the minimum value corresponding to the detection target interference fringe ST is detected). . For example, the timing determination unit 92 sets the time obtained by adding a predetermined delay time from the detection completion time as the second processing start timing.

When the second processing start timing is determined in step S27, the discharge of the water repellent agent from the nozzle 30 to the upper surface of the substrate W is started at the second processing start timing (step S28). Thereby, the water-repellent treatment (FIG. 6: Step S14) is started. The control unit 9 discharges the water repellent from the nozzle 30 as a next process in accordance with the timing determined by the timing determination unit 92 in step S28. That is, the control unit 9 executes the next processing, the water repellency processing, in accordance with the timing of starting the second processing. For this reason, the mechanism for supplying the water repellent to the control unit 9, the nozzle 30, and the nozzle 30 can be an example of the second processing execution unit. The second processing execution unit is a portion that performs a second processing on the substrate W as a processing target, and can perform the second processing on the substrate W according to the timing determined by the timing determination unit 92.

In step S27, the length of the delay time added from the detection completion time may be determined by experimental substrate processing in advance in order to determine the second processing start timing. Specifically, after the interference fringe ST of the detection object is detected, the water repellent treatment is started with a different delay time, and the resulting hydrophobic state of the substrate W is evaluated. Based on this evaluation result, the optimum delay time may be determined.

In addition, in step S27, it is not essential to set the second processing start timing to a time obtained by adding a predetermined delay time from the detection completion time. For example, the second processing start timing may be the detection completion time. In this case, when it is determined in step S26 that the interference fringe ST of the detection object has been detected, the discharge of the water repellent agent is immediately started.

In FIG. 11, although the first process is the IPA process and the second process is the water-repellent process, the second process start timing is determined, but the combination of the first process and the second process is limited to this. no. For example, even when the first process is the IPA process after the water-repellent treatment (Fig. 6: Step S15) and the second process is the spin dry process (Fig. 6: Step S16), the second process start timing determination process is applied. It is possible to do. In this case, the control unit 9 controls the spin motor 22 of the spin chuck 20 in accordance with the determined second processing start timing by the timing determining unit 92, thereby reducing the rotational speed of the substrate W at 300 rpm. Raise to 1500 rpm. That is, the control unit 9 executes the second process, the spin dry process, in accordance with the second process start timing. For this reason, the control part 9 and the spin motor 22 can become a 2nd processing execution part. In such a case, for example, in the spin drying treatment as the second treatment, the rotational speed of the substrate W is made larger than that in the IPA treatment as the first treatment, and the first remaining on the upper surface of the substrate W It becomes a process of removing IPA as a treatment liquid.

<Effect>

According to the substrate processing apparatus 100, the second processing can be performed at an appropriate timing with respect to the substrate W on which the first processing, which is a liquid processing, has been performed.

When the second treatment is a liquid treatment (e.g., the first treatment is an IPA treatment (Fig. 6: step S13), and the second treatment is a water repellent treatment (Fig. 6: step S14)), the first treatment liquid After making the film of (film of the liquid film W1) as thin as possible, the second processing liquid can be supplied. In this case, since the amount of the first processing liquid on the substrate W can be reduced, the substitution of the first processing liquid to the second processing liquid can be promoted. Thereby, the processing time of the second processing can be shortened. In addition, since the amount of the second processing liquid used can be reduced, the cost of processing the substrate can be reduced.

When the second process is a drying process (e.g., when the first process is an IPA process (Fig. 6: step S15), and the second process is a spin dry process (Fig. 6: step S16)), the substrate processing apparatus ( According to 100), it is possible to transfer to the drying treatment in a state where the film thickness of the first treatment liquid is appropriate. For this reason, excessive swelling of the liquid film can be suppressed. Thereby, the surface of the substrate can be treated uniformly.

<About setting conditions for detecting interference fringes (ST)>

12 is a diagram showing a setting screen SW1 for setting a condition for detecting an interference fringe ST. In the substrate processing apparatus 100, on a processing program creation screen (not shown) displayed on the display unit 97, a process for determining the content of the processing to be executed by the operator in each cleaning processing unit 1 is performed. The setting screen SW1 is a screen displayed by shifting from this processing program creation screen.

The setting screen SW1 is displayed as a window displayed on the entire screen of the display unit 97 or a part thereof. When the operator performs a predetermined operation on the setting screen SW1, the determination area setting unit 91 sets the conditions of the determination area DR according to the operation input. In step S23 shown in FIG. 11, the determination area setting unit 91 selects the determination area DR that matches the set condition on the captured image 82 for detecting the interference fringe ST to be detected. To set.

In the setting screen SW1, display areas DA1, DA2, DA3, DA4, DA5, and DA6 that display various types of information are defined. In the display area DA1, the contents of the first process and the second process are displayed. In the display area DA1, as the contents of the designated processing, for example, processing conditions such as the type of the processing liquid, the discharge amount of the processing liquid, the discharge time of the processing liquid, and the number of rotations of the substrate W when the processing liquid is discharged. Each parameter of is displayed. Moreover, in the display area DA1, the change of each parameter may be accepted based on the input operation of an operator. In the display area DA1, when the operator sets the processing contents of the first processing or the second processing, this second processing start timing is determined. In the display area DA1, an area indicating a detection pattern and a position pattern selected in the display areas DA2 and DA3 described later is defined.

When the first processing and the second processing are set, based on their processing conditions, the timing determining unit 92 automatically determines the interference fringe ST as a detection target. As a preliminary preparation for this determination process, the interference fringe ST to be detected may be specified in advance for each condition different from the first process. In this case, for each case in which the first treatment is performed by changing each condition of the treatment liquid, discharge amount, and rotation speed, the preferred start timing of the second treatment is determined, and the interference fringe (ST) corresponding to the start timing is determined Just do it.

In the display area DA2, buttons BT11, BT12, BT13, BT14 for selecting a detection pattern are displayed. Each button BT11, BT12, BT13 is an operation unit for setting the detection pattern of the interference fringe ST to any of the first to third detection patterns (see Figs. 8 to 10) described above. When the operator operates any of the buttons BT11, BT12, BT13, the corresponding detection pattern is selected. Here, by operating the button BT11, the first detection pattern is selected, and a display indicating the selection result is displayed on the display area DA1. The button BT14 is an operation unit for automatically setting a detection pattern. When the button BT14 is operated, any of the first to third detection patterns is automatically selected.

In the display area DA3, each button BT21, BT22, BT23, BT24 for selecting the position pattern of the determination area DR is displayed. When the operator operates any of the buttons BT21, BT22, BT23, BT24, the position pattern of the determination area DR is set according to the operated button. The contents assigned to the buttons BT21, BT22, BT23 may be set in advance for each detection pattern selected in the display area DA2. For example, in the case of the first detection pattern, the position (for example, the position in the radial direction) at which one determination region DR11 is arranged may be made different between the buttons BT21, BT22, and BT23. In the case of the second detection pattern, the interval in the radial direction between the determination regions DR21, DR22, and DR23 may be made different between the buttons BT21, BT22, and BT23.

When the button BT24 is operated, the determination area setting unit 91 automatically sets the position of the determination area DR. For example, the determination region setting unit 91 may set the determination region DR at a predetermined position as an initial value, or may set the position of the determination region DR based on a predetermined determination criterion. In the latter case, in accordance with the interference fringe ST of the object to be detected, the determination area may be set at a position suitable for detection of the interference fringe ST.

In the display area DA4, each button BT31, BT32, BT33 for selecting the type of the substrate W to be processed is displayed. The type of the substrate W is, for example, the size of the substrate W, the presence or absence of a structure such as a circuit pattern on the upper surface of the substrate W, and the affinity for water on the upper surface of the substrate W (hydrophobicity /Hydrophilicity), etc. It is preferable to correspond to each state that affects the appearance of the interference fringe ST.

In the display area DA5, a captured image 82 is displayed. The photographed image 82 may be a photographed image obtained by photographing by the camera 70 in the past, or may be a photographed image obtained by photographing by the camera 70 in real time. On the captured image 82, a rectangular frame representing the determination area DR is preferably displayed in accordance with the detection pattern and the position pattern selected in the display areas DA2 and DA3. For example, when the first detection pattern is selected, one determination area DR11 may be displayed.

On the captured image 82, an operation of changing the position of the determination area DR may be accepted. For example, when the drag operation is accepted, the determination area DR may be changed to the position after the movement. The movement operation of the determination area DR may be changed only in one direction corresponding to the radial direction (here, the horizontal direction of the captured image 82). In this case, since the position of the determination region DR can be changed according to the movement direction (outside the radial direction) of the interference fringe ST, the determination region DR can be easily set.

In the case of displaying the captured image 82 obtained by past imaging, as the captured image 82 at the time of transition from the first processing designated in the display area DA1 to the second processing, the detection target interference fringe ST A photographed image 82 in which is appearing (for example, the photographed images 82b and 82c shown in FIG. 7) can be adopted. In this case, since the operator can move the frame of the judgment area DR while visually viewing the interference fringe ST, the judgment area DR can be set to an appropriate position. Further, in the display area DA5, a moving picture may be displayed by continuously reproducing a series of captured images 82 obtained by continuous imaging. In this case, various buttons for controlling display such as play or stop may be prepared, and display control by the operator may be accepted. Thereby, the operator can appropriately set the conditions of the determination area DR while confirming the appearance of the interference fringe ST.

The display area DA6 is an area that accepts input of the target film thickness. The target film thickness is the thickness of the liquid film W1 of the first treatment liquid that becomes a reference when starting the second treatment. When the target film thickness is input, the timing determining unit 92 specifies the interference fringe ST that appears when corresponding to the target film thickness. For this specific treatment, as a preliminary preparation, after stopping the discharge of the treatment liquid from the nozzle 30 in the first treatment, the thickness of the liquid film W1 is measured. The relationship between each appearance time when each interference fringe ST appears and the thickness of the liquid film W1 may be specified. In this case, the thickness of the liquid film W1 corresponding to the appearance timing of each interference fringe ST may be determined for each case in which the first treatment is performed by changing the conditions of the treatment liquid, the discharge amount, and the number of rotations. In addition, the position of the substrate W at which the thickness is measured may be any of the center of the substrate W, the outer edge, or an intermediate position thereof.

When the target film thickness is input in the display area DA6, in the display areas DA2 and DA3, the detection pattern according to the interference fringe ST according to the interference fringe ST corresponding to the target film thickness , And the candidates of the position pattern may be reduced and displayed. In this case, a detection pattern and a position pattern may be determined in advance for each interference fringe (ST) to be detected.

In addition, depending on the conditions of the number of rotations or the discharge time in the first process, the interference fringe ST of the detection object may not be specified because the input target film thickness is not reached. In such a case, a display such as "Disable detection and lengthen the step time" may be performed on the setting screen SW1 or the like. Thereby, it is possible to prompt the operator to change the processing conditions.

<2. Second Embodiment>

Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the following description, elements having the same or similar functions as those described above are given the same reference numerals or symbols added with alphabetic characters, and detailed descriptions may be omitted.

13 is a diagram showing a substrate processing apparatus 100A according to a second embodiment. The control unit 9A of the substrate processing apparatus 100A includes a timing determination unit 92A. The timing determination unit 92A includes a feature vector extraction unit 922 and a classifier K2.

The feature vector extraction unit 922 extracts a feature vector, which is an array of plural types of feature quantities, from each of the series of captured images 82 acquired by continuous imaging in step S22. The item of the feature quantity is, for example, a pixel value in a gray scale or the sum of luminance, a standard deviation of a pixel value or luminance, and the like.

The classifier K2 includes a first class indicating that the captured image 82 is an image that is a criterion for determination of the second processing start timing, based on the feature vector extracted by the feature vector extraction unit 922; It is classified among the second classes indicating that the images are not used as a criterion for determining the second processing start timing.

The timing determination unit 92A classifies the series of captured images 82 by the classifier K2. When the captured image 82 classified in the first class appears, the timing determining unit 92A determines the second processing start timing according to the time at which the captured image 82 was acquired. That is, the classifier K2 is an example of an image determination unit that determines whether or not the captured image is an image that is a criterion for determining the second processing start timing, based on a plurality of types of feature vectors.

As shown in Fig. 13, the communication unit 99 is connected to the control unit 9A. The communication unit 99 is formed so that the control unit 9A performs data communication with the server 8. The substrate processing apparatus 100A, the communication unit 99, and the server 8 constitute a substrate processing system. The classifier K2 is generated by the server 8 by machine learning, and is provided from the server 8 to the control unit 9A through the communication unit 99.

The server 8 includes a machine learning unit 80. The machine learning unit 80 generates the classifier K2 by machine learning. For machine learning, known techniques such as a neural network, a decision tree, a support vector machine (SVM), and discriminant analysis can be employed.

As the teacher data used for machine learning of the machine learning unit 80, for example, a class taught to each of the captured image 82 (or its feature vector) obtained by the camera 70 can be used. . The captured image 82 acquired by the camera 70 can be provided to the server 8 via the communication unit 99 from the substrate processing apparatus 100A.

For example, in the case where the captured images 82a, 82c, 82d shown in Fig. 7 are used as teacher data, the captured image 82 serving as the reference for the second processing start timing is the captured image 82c (that is, the substrate ( When the number of interference fringes ST appearing on W) is three), a first class indicating that the second processing start timing is a reference for the photographed image 82c is taught. In addition, for the captured images 82a, 82b, 82d, a second class indicating that the second processing start timing is not a reference may be taught. By preparing a large number of such teacher data and having the machine learning unit 80 learn it, the machine learning unit 80 classifies the captured image 82 between the first class and the second class based on the feature vector. It creates a classifier (K2).

The classifier K2, the type of the substrate W (e.g., the size of the substrate W, the presence or absence of a structure such as a circuit pattern on the upper surface of the substrate W, the water on the upper surface of the substrate W). For each affinity (hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity)) or for different conditions of the first treatment (type of treatment liquid, discharge amount, discharge time), a plurality of types of classifiers K2 may be generated. In this case, the teacher data may be prepared for each type of the substrate W or for each different condition of the first processing, and machine learning may be performed.

By connecting the plurality of substrate processing apparatuses 100A to the server 8 so that communication is possible, the classifier K2 may be provided from the server 8 to each of the substrate processing apparatuses 100A.

It is not essential that the classifier K2 is provided from the server 8. For example, the classifier K2 may be provided to the control unit 9A through a storage medium such as an optical medium and a flash memory. Moreover, since the substrate processing apparatus 100A includes the machine learning unit 80, the classifier K2 may be generated in the substrate processing apparatus 100A.

In the substrate processing apparatus 100A, the determination processing of the second processing start timing is performed by the timing determination unit 92A obtained by the camera 70 after step S24 (IPA supply stop) shown in FIG. 11. The classifier K2 classifies the series of captured images 82 to detect the captured image 82 serving as a reference for the second processing start timing. Then, the timing determination unit 92A sets the detection time at which the captured image 82 is detected, or a time obtained by adding a predetermined delay time from the detection time, as the second processing start timing.

In the present embodiment, the classifier K2 classifies the class based on the entire captured image 82. For this reason, the whole of the captured image 82 becomes a judgment area. In addition, as described above, the classifier K2 is generated by machine learning using the captured image 82 taught by the class according to the appearance state of the interference fringe ST as teacher data. For this reason, the timing determination unit 92A is the start timing of the second processing according to the interference fringe ST (extreme point related to the light intensity on the captured image 82) moving radially outward in the determination area. To decide.

Also in this embodiment, the second processing start timing can be determined based on the interference fringes ST appearing in accordance with the thickness of the liquid film W1 of the first processing liquid. Therefore, in the case where the second treatment is a liquid treatment, the second treatment can be accelerated by making the liquid film W1 as thin as possible and then starting the second treatment, thereby promoting the substitution of the first treatment liquid to the second treatment liquid. The supply amount and supply time of the liquid can be shortened. Further, even when the second treatment is a drying treatment, the drying treatment can be started when the liquid film W1 of the first treatment liquid has an optimum thickness.

In addition, it is not essential to use the entire captured image 82 as teacher data. For example, only the image part in the judgment area DR from the captured image 82 can be used as teacher data. In this case, since the image size can be made small, the amount of various calculation processing can be reduced.

Although this invention has been described in detail, the above description is, in all aspects, by way of example, and this invention is not limited thereto. It is construed that a myriad of modifications that are not illustrated can be conceived without departing from the scope of this invention. Each configuration described in each of the above embodiments and each modification can be combined or omitted unless contradictory to each other.

100, 100A: substrate processing equipment
1: washing treatment unit
8: server
9, 9A: control unit
10: chamber
20: spin chuck
21: spin base
22: spin motor
24: rotating shaft
26: chuck pin
30, 60, 65: nozzle
31: discharge head
70: camera
71: lighting unit
80: Machine Learning Department
82, 82a, 82b, 82c, 82d: photographed image
91: judgment area setting unit
92, 92A: Timing determination unit
96: memory
97: display
98: input
99: Communication Department
921: extreme value point detection unit
922: feature vector extraction unit
CX: axis of rotation
DR, DR11, DR21, DR22, DR23, DR31: Judgment area
K2: Classifier (image judgment unit)
ST, ST1, ST2, ST3, STL: interference fringes
W: substrate
W1: liquid film (of the first treatment liquid)

Claims (17)

As a substrate processing method for treating an upper surface of a substrate rotating in a horizontal posture with a processing liquid,
(a) the process of holding the substrate in a horizontal position, and
(b) a step of rotating the substrate held in a horizontal posture by the step (a) around a rotation axis in a vertical direction, and
(c) a step of supplying a first processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate rotated by the step (b), and
(d) after the step (c), the step of stopping the supply of the first treatment liquid,
(e) a step of thinning the film of the first processing liquid remaining on the upper surface of the substrate after the step (d), and
(f) in the step (e), the step of photographing the upper surface of the substrate with a camera,
(g) In accordance with the extreme value point at which the light intensity in the radial direction orthogonal to the rotation axis in the determination area set in the captured image acquired by the step (f) becomes maximum or minimum, 2 The process of determining the timing of processing, and
(h) a step of performing the second treatment on the substrate according to the timing determined in the step (g). The method of claim 1,
In the step (h), the second processing is started while the film of the first processing liquid remains on the entire upper surface of the substrate. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The substrate processing method, wherein the determination area is set on the upper surface of the substrate in the photographed image. The method of claim 3,
The step (g) is,
(g1) A method of processing a substrate comprising a step of determining the timing in accordance with a time from the detection of one extreme value point to the detection of the next extreme value point in the determination area. The method of claim 4,
The step (g) is,
(g2) In the determination area, a first time from the detection of the first extreme value point until the second extreme value point is detected, and a second time from the detection of the second extreme value point until the third extreme value point is detected. Based on, determining the timing of the substrate processing method. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The step (g) is,
(g3) a step of determining the timing based on a first distance between a first extreme value point detected in the determination region and a second extreme value point radially outward from the first extreme value point. Processing method. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The determination region includes a first determination region and a second determination region radially outward from the first determination region, and
The step (g),
(g4) A substrate processing method comprising a step of determining the timing based on the detection of a first extreme value point in the first determination region and detection of a second extreme value point in the second determination region. The method of claim 7,
(i) Prior to the step (g), the substrate processing method further includes a step of changing a relative position in the radial direction of the second determination region with respect to the first determination region. The method of claim 6,
The step (g) is,
(g5) determining the timing based on the first distance and a second distance between the second extreme value point and a third extreme value point radially outward from the second extreme value point in the determination area A method of treating a substrate, including a process. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The step (g) is,
(g6) a step of determining the timing by counting from a last detectable final extreme value point among a plurality of extreme value points and detecting the three extreme value points in the determination area. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
The substrate processing method, wherein the camera is an infrared camera. The method of claim 11,
The step (f) is,
(f1) A substrate processing method comprising the step of irradiating infrared rays onto the upper surface of the substrate. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
The second processing is a processing of supplying a second processing liquid different from the first processing liquid to an upper surface of the substrate. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
The second processing is a processing of removing the first processing liquid remaining on the upper surface of the substrate by increasing the rotational speed of the substrate than in the step (e). A substrate processing apparatus that performs liquid treatment on an upper surface of a substrate rotating in a horizontal posture,
A substrate holding unit that holds the substrate in a horizontal position,
A rotation unit that rotates a target substrate, which is a substrate held in the substrate holding unit, around a rotation axis in a vertical direction,
A processing liquid supply unit for supplying a first processing liquid to the upper surface of the target substrate,
A camera for photographing an upper surface of the target substrate,
With respect to the target substrate as the light intensity in the radial direction orthogonal to the rotation axis moves toward the outer side in the radial direction of the extreme value point that becomes the maximum value or the minimum value in the judgment area set in the photographed image acquired by the camera. A timing determination unit that determines a timing to perform the second processing;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a second processing execution unit that performs a second processing on the target substrate according to the timing determined by the timing determination unit. The method of claim 15,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the determination area is set on the upper surface of the target substrate in the photographed image. The method of claim 15 or 16,
The timing determination unit,
A feature vector extracting unit for extracting a plurality of types of feature vectors from the captured image;
And an image determination unit that determines whether or not the photographed image is an image used as a criterion for determining the timing, based on the plurality of types of feature vectors.

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