TW202205484A - Substrate processing system and substrate processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the invention is to provide technology that can discover defects in etching processing at an early stage. A substrate processing system of the invention comprises an etching processing section, an inspection section, an estimation section, a calculation section, and a judgment section. The etching processing section conducts etching processing that etches a film formed on the surface of a substrate. The inspection section captures images of the surface of the substrate after the etching processing. The estimation section estimates the film thickness of the film based on the images captured by the inspection section. The calculation section calculates the amount of etching of the film based on the film thickness of the film prior to etching processing and the film thickness of the film estimated by the estimation section. The judgment section determines the quality of the etching processing based on the etching amount calculated by the calculation section.

Description

Substrate processing system and substrate processing method

The present invention relates to a substrate processing system and a substrate processing method.

As one of the semiconductor manufacturing steps, there is known an etching step for etching a film layer formed on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer. Furthermore, there is another known determination step, which is to determine whether the substrate is good or bad by inspecting the surface of the substrate that has undergone a plurality of steps after the etching step.

Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for determining whether there is a defect on the surface of the substrate based on a substrate image captured on the surface of the substrate. [Existing Technical Literature] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-212008

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

The present invention provides a technique for early detection of defects in etching treatment. [Technical means to solve the problem]

A substrate processing system according to an aspect of the present invention includes an etching processing unit, an inspection unit, an estimation unit, a calculation unit, and a determination unit. The etching treatment section performs an etching treatment of etching the film layer formed on the surface of the substrate. The inspection part images the surface of the substrate after the etching process. The estimation unit estimates the film thickness of the film layer according to the image captured by the inspection unit. The calculation part calculates the etching amount of the film layer based on the film thickness of the film layer before the etching process and the film thickness of the film layer estimated by the estimation part. The determination unit determines whether the etching process is good or bad based on the etching amount calculated by the calculation unit. [Effect of invention]

According to the present invention, defects in etching treatment can be found early.

Hereinafter, the embodiments of the substrate processing system and the substrate processing method for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited to this embodiment. In addition, the respective embodiments can be appropriately combined within the range that the processing contents are not contradictory. In addition, in each following embodiment, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected to the same part, and the repeated description is abbreviate|omitted.

Furthermore, expressions such as "fixed", "orthogonal", "perpendicular" or "parallel" may be used in the embodiments shown below, but these expressions are not strictly required to be "fixed", Orthogonal, Perpendicular, or Parallel. That is, in each of the above expressions, errors such as manufacturing accuracy, setting accuracy, and the like are allowed.

Furthermore, in each of the drawings referred to below, in order to make the description easier to understand, the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction that are orthogonal to each other are defined, and the positive Z-axis direction is shown as vertically upward. Orthogonal coordinate system of the direction. In addition, the direction of rotation with the vertical axis as the center of rotation may be referred to as the θ direction.

<Constitution of substrate processing system> FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a substrate processing system according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1 , the substrate processing system 1 includes a loading and unloading station 2 and a processing station 3 . The carry-in and carry-out station 2 is installed adjacent to the processing station 3 .

The carry-in and carry-out station 2 includes a carrier placement unit 11 and a conveyance unit 12 . A plurality of carriers C are placed on the carrier placement portion 11 , and the plurality of carriers C can accommodate a plurality of substrates in a horizontal state; the substrates are semiconductor wafers (hereinafter referred to as wafers W) in the embodiment.

The conveyance unit 12 is provided adjacent to the carrier placement unit 11 , and includes a substrate conveyance device 13 and a stacking unit 14 inside. The substrate transfer device 13 includes a wafer holding mechanism for holding the wafer W. Furthermore, the substrate conveying device 13 can move in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, turn around the vertical axis, and use the wafer holding mechanism to perform the wafer transfer between the carrier C and the transfer portion provided in the stacking portion 14 . The transport of the circle W.

The processing station 3 is provided adjacent to the conveyance unit 12 . The processing station 3 includes a conveyance unit 15 and a plurality of etching processing units 16 . A plurality of etching processing units 16 are arranged on both sides of the conveying unit 15 .

The conveying unit 15 includes a board conveying device 17 inside. The substrate transfer device 17 includes a wafer holding mechanism for holding the wafer W. As shown in FIG. Further, the substrate transfer device 17 can move in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, turn around the vertical axis, and transfer the wafer W between the stacking unit 14 and the etching processing unit 16 using the wafer holding mechanism.

The etching processing unit 16 performs etching processing on the wafer W conveyed by the substrate conveying apparatus 17 . The etching treatment refers to a treatment for removing all or part of the film layer formed on the surface of the wafer W. FIG. Here, the etching processing unit 16 is described by taking the case of performing wet etching as an example, but the etching processing performed by the etching processing unit 16 may be dry etching.

The substrate processing system 1 includes a control device 4 . The control device 4 is, for example, a computer, and includes a control unit 18 and a memory unit 19 . In the memory unit 19, programs for controlling various processes executed in the substrate processing system 1 are stored. The control unit 18 controls the operation of the substrate processing system 1 by calling and executing the program recorded in the memory unit 19 .

In addition, the program may be recorded in a computer-readable storage medium, and then installed in the storage unit 19 of the control device 4 from the storage medium. As a computer-readable storage medium, for example, there are hard disk (HD), floppy disk (FD), compact disk (CD), magneto-optical disk (MO), memory card and so on.

In the substrate processing system 1 having the above-described configuration, first, the substrate transfer device 13 of the carry-in and carry-out station 2 takes out the wafer W from the carrier C placed on the carrier placing section 11 , and then places the taken out wafer W. in the transfer part of the lamination part 14 . The wafer W placed on the transfer section is taken out from the stacking section 14 by the substrate transfer device 17 of the processing station 3 , and then carried into the etching processing section 16 .

The wafer W carried into the etching processing unit 16 is etched by the etching processing unit 16 , and then unloaded from the etching processing unit 16 by the substrate transfer apparatus 17 and placed on the stacking unit 14 . Then, the processed wafer W placed on the lamination unit 14 is returned to the carrier C of the carrier placement unit 11 by the substrate transfer device 13 .

<Configuration of etching processing section> Next, the configuration of the etching processing unit 16 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 . FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the etching processing unit 16 according to the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the etching processing unit 16 includes a chamber 61 , a substrate holding mechanism 62 , a supply unit 63 , and a recovery cup 64 .

The chamber 61 accommodates the substrate holding mechanism 62 , the supply unit 63 , and the recovery cup 64 . The ceiling part of the chamber 61 is provided with a fan filter unit (Fan Filter Unit) 61a. The fan filter unit 61a forms a downflow in the chamber 61 .

The board|substrate holding mechanism 62 is provided with the holding part 62a, the support|pillar part 62b, the drive part 62c, and the temperature adjustment part 62d. The holding portion 62a holds the wafer W horizontally. The strut portion 62b is a member extending in the vertical direction, the base portion thereof is rotatably supported by the driving portion 62c, and the front end portion thereof supports the holding portion 62a horizontally. The drive part 62c rotates the support|pillar part 62b about a vertical axis|shaft. The temperature adjustment part 62d is built in the holding part 62a, for example, and adjusts the temperature of the wafer W by heating or cooling the wafer W held by the holding part 62a.

The substrate holding mechanism 62 rotates the holding portion 62a supported by the holding portion 62b by using the driving portion 62c to rotate the support portion 62b, thereby rotating the wafer W held by the holding portion 62a.

The supply unit 63 supplies a chemical solution (etching solution) to the wafer W. The supply part 63 is connected to the chemical solution supply source 63a. The chemical liquid is not particularly limited, and for example, hydrofluoric acid, diluted hydrofluoric acid, nitric acid, SC1 (a mixed liquid of ammonia water/hydrogen peroxide/water) and the like can be used.

The supply unit 63 includes a concentration adjusting unit 63b, a temperature adjusting unit 63d, and a flow rate adjusting unit 63e. The concentration adjustment unit 63b is connected to the chemical solution supply source 63a and the dilution solution supply source 63c, and supplies the chemical solution supplied by the chemical solution supply source 63a and the dilution solution (for example, water, etc.) supplied by the dilution solution supply source 63c etc.) are mixed to dilute the chemical solution. The concentration adjustment unit 63b can change the mixing ratio of the chemical solution and the diluent, thereby adjusting the chemical solution to a desired concentration.

The temperature adjustment part 63d is provided on the downstream side of the concentration adjustment part 63b, and adjusts the temperature of the chemical solution by heating or cooling the temperature of the chemical solution. The flow rate adjustment unit 63e is provided on the downstream side of the concentration adjustment unit 63b, and adjusts the flow rate of the chemical solution ejected to the wafer W.

The recovery cup 64 is disposed so as to surround the holding portion 62a, and captures the processing liquid scattered from the wafer W due to the rotation of the holding portion 62a. A liquid drain port 64 a is formed at the bottom of the recovery cup 64 , and the processing liquid captured in the recovery cup 64 is discharged to the outside of the etching processing unit 16 through the liquid drain port 64 a. Furthermore, an exhaust port 64 b is formed at the bottom of the recovery cup 64 , and the gas supplied by the fan filter unit 21 is exhausted to the outside of the etching processing unit 16 .

<Constitution of Lamination Section> Next, the configuration of the lamination unit 14 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 . FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the lamination unit 14 according to the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3 , in the stacking unit 14 , a plurality of processing units are stacked in the height direction (Z-axis direction). For example, the stacking unit 14 is provided with a plurality of transfer units 40 . The transfer part 40 can accommodate the wafer W. In the transfer unit 40 , the transfer of the wafer W is performed between the substrate transfer apparatuses 13 and 17 .

Furthermore, the lamination unit 14 is provided with a pre-processing inspection unit 50_1 and a post-processing inspection unit 50_2 as an inspection unit 50 for inspecting the surface of the wafer W. The pre-processing inspection unit 50_1 acquires a pre-processing image by photographing the surface of the wafer W before the etching processing. Furthermore, the post-processing inspection unit 50_2 acquires a post-processing image by photographing the surface of the etched substrate.

<Constitution of Inspection Department> Here, the configuration of the inspection unit 50 (the pre-processing inspection unit 50_1 and the post-processing inspection unit 50_2 ) will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 . FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the inspection part 50 of the embodiment viewed from above. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the inspection part 50 of the embodiment viewed from the side.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the inspection unit 50 has a casing 51 . Inside the casing 51, a holding portion 52 for holding the wafer W is provided. The holding portion 52 is, for example, a vacuum chuck, and holds the central portion of the back surface of the wafer W by suction.

On the bottom surface of the casing 51, a guide rail 53 extending along the Y-axis direction is provided. The guide rail 53 is provided with a driving part 54 which rotates the holding part 52 and can move freely along the guide rail 53 .

On the side surface inside the casing 51, an imaging unit 55 is provided. As the imaging unit 55, for example, a wide-angle CCD camera is used. In the vicinity of the upper center of the casing 51, a half mirror 56 is provided. The half mirror 56 is located at a position facing the imaging unit 55 , and the mirror surface is provided in a state where the mirror surface is inclined upward by 45 degrees in the direction of the imaging unit 55 from a state in which it faces vertically downward.

Above the half mirror 56, an illumination device 57 is provided. The half mirror 56 and the lighting device 57 are fixed on the top surface inside the casing 51 . The illumination from the illumination device 57 penetrates the half mirror 56 and illuminates downward. Therefore, the light reflected by the object located under the lighting device 57 is further reflected by the half mirror 56 and introduced into the photographing section 55 . That is, the photographing unit 55 can photograph objects within the irradiation area of the lighting device 57 .

The inspection unit 50 uses the imaging unit 55 to capture images while moving the holding unit 52 along the guide rails 53 by the driving unit 54 . Thereby, the inspection unit 50 can obtain an image of the surface of the wafer W, that is, an image before processing or an image after processing. The image of the wafer W captured by the inspection unit 50 is input to the control device 4 .

<Configuration of control device> Next, the configuration of the control device 4 will be described with reference to FIG. 6 . FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device 4 according to the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the control device 4 includes a control unit 18 and a memory unit 19 . The control unit 18 includes an estimation unit 181 , a correction unit 182 , a calculation unit 183 , a determination unit 184 , and an abnormality response processing unit 185 . Furthermore, the memory unit 19 includes a pre-processing film thickness database 191 , a post-processing film thickness database 192 , an etching amount database 193 , and a correlation database 194 .

In addition, the control device 4 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) ; hard disk drive), as well as input and output ports, etc., computers and various circuits.

The CPU of the computer executes, for example, by calling a program recorded in the ROM, and functions as the estimation unit 181 , the correction unit 182 , the calculation unit 183 , the determination unit 184 , and the abnormal response processing unit 185 as the control unit 18 . In addition, at least any one or all of the estimation unit 181 , the correction unit 182 , the calculation unit 183 , the determination unit 184 , and the abnormal response processing unit 185 may be ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), GPU ( Graphics Processing Unit; graphics processor), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array; Field Programmable Gate Array) and other hardware.

In addition, the memory part 19 corresponds to RAM or HDD, for example. In addition, the control device 4 can also obtain the above-mentioned programs or various kinds of information through other computers or portable storage media connected via a wired or wireless network.

The estimation unit 181 estimates the film thickness of the film layer formed on the surface of the wafer W based on the image captured by the inspection unit 50 . Specifically, the estimation unit 181 estimates the film thickness before the etching process based on the pre-processing image captured by the pre-processing inspection unit 50_1 , and estimates the film thickness after the etching process based on the post-processing image captured by the post-processing inspection unit 50_2 .

Here, the film thickness estimation process of the estimation unit 181 will be described with reference to FIG. 7 . FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the film thickness estimation process.

The upper graph of FIG. 7 shows the pixel values of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) in the image of the surface of the wafer W captured by the inspection unit 50 and the film on the surface of the wafer W Graph of the relationship between thicknesses. As shown in the figure, a periodic correlation is observed between the pixel values of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) and the film thickness.

The lower image of FIG. 7 is the partial film thickness range of the upper image of FIG. 7 , specifically, the film thickness range including the envisaged film thickness, and then expanded. As shown in the figure, when observing a certain film thickness range, the relationship between each pixel value and the film thickness can approach a linear shape.

In view of this, for example, from the three channels of R, G, and B, select a channel whose relationship with the film thickness is the closest to a linear shape, and then make the data of the selected channel (for example, R) linearly approximate, so that Obtain the film thickness prediction formula which is a linear function.

The estimation unit 181 uses the above-mentioned film thickness prediction formula to convert the pixel value of R in each pixel of the image captured by the inspection unit 50 into the film thickness in the pixel. In this way, the estimation unit 181 can estimate the film thickness based on the image captured by the inspection unit 50 .

The estimation unit 181, when the film thickness is estimated from the pre-processing image input from the pre-processing inspection unit 50_1, stores information relating the estimated film thickness and the identification number of the wafer W in the pre-processing film thickness. The database 191 is used as the film thickness information before processing. Furthermore, when the estimation unit 181 estimates the film thickness based on the post-processing image input from the post-processing inspection unit 50_2, the estimation unit 181 stores information relating the estimated film thickness and the identification number of the wafer W to the processing unit 50_2. The post-film thickness database 192 serves as post-processing film thickness information.

In addition, the estimation unit 181 may estimate the film thickness based on the film thickness prediction equation using all the channels of R, G, and B. Thereby, the estimation accuracy of the film thickness can be improved.

Return to Figure 6. The correcting unit 182 corrects the processing conditions of the etching processing on the wafer W according to the pre-processing film thickness information stored in the pre-processing film thickness database 191 .

The correction processing by the correction unit 182 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11 . FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the correction processing based on the average film thickness, and FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the correlation information stored in the correlation database 194 . 10 is a diagram showing another example of the related information stored in the correlation database 194, and FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the correction processing based on the in-plane distribution of the film thickness.

In FIG. 8 , the wafer W_1 with the thicker film layer F_1 formed by the etching processing unit 16_1 is processed, and the wafer W_2 with the thinner film layer F_2 formed by the etching processing unit 16_2 is processed.

The correction unit 182 acquires the pre-processing film thickness information of the wafer W_1 from the pre-processing film thickness database 191 , and uses the acquired pre-processing film thickness information to calculate the average film thickness of the film layer F_1 . The average film thickness is the average value of the film thicknesses at each position (each pixel) on the surface of the wafer W_1.

The average thickness of the film layer F_1 is set so that it cannot be completely removed by the etching treatment performed under the treatment conditions (hereinafter referred to as “initial process recipe”) set in advance in the etching treatment section 16_1 . In other words, the average film thickness of the film layer F_1 is set to exceed the etching amount of the initial process recipe (thicker than the film thickness corresponding to the etching amount of the initial process recipe). In this case, the correction part 182 changes the processing conditions of the etching processing part 16_1 from the initial process recipe according to the average film thickness of the film layer F_1, and increases the etching amount of the film layer F_2, so that the film thickness corresponding to the film layer F_1 is changed. amount of etching.

Among the processing conditions, for example, chemical solution temperature, wafer temperature, chemical solution concentration, and processing time are parameters that can change the etching amount. The chemical solution temperature is the temperature of the chemical solution supplied by the supply unit 63 (see FIG. 2 ), and can be changed for each etching processing unit 16 by the temperature adjustment unit 63d. The wafer temperature is the temperature of the wafer W during the etching process, and can be changed for each etching process part 16 by the temperature adjustment part 62d. The chemical solution concentration is the concentration of the chemical solution supplied by the supply unit 63, and can be changed for each etching processing unit 16 by the concentration adjustment unit 63b. The processing time is the discharge time of the chemical solution from the supply unit 63 to the wafer W.

The correction unit 182, for example, increases the temperature of the chemical solution, the wafer temperature, and the concentration of the chemical solution relative to the initial process recipe, and lengthens the processing time. Thereby, the etching amount of the film layer F_1 can be increased from the etching amount of the initial process recipe.

Furthermore, the correction unit 182 acquires the pre-processing film thickness information of the wafer W_2 from the pre-processing film thickness database 191 , and uses the acquired pre-processing film thickness information to calculate the average film thickness of the film layer F_2 .

The average film thickness of the film layer F_2 is set to a thickness that becomes excessively etched when the etching treatment of the initial process recipe is performed. In other words, the average thickness of the film layer F_2 is set to be smaller than the etching amount of the initial process recipe (thinner than the film thickness equivalent to the etching amount of the initial process recipe). In this case, the correction part 182 changes the processing conditions of the etching processing part 16_2 from the initial process recipe according to the average film thickness of the film layer F_2, and reduces the etching amount of the film layer F_2, so as to be the film thickness corresponding to the film layer F_2 amount of etching.

For example, the correction unit 182 reduces the temperature of the chemical solution, the temperature of the wafer, and the concentration of the chemical solution relative to the initial process recipe, thereby shortening the processing time. Thereby, the etching amount of the film layer F_2 can be reduced from the etching amount of the initial process recipe.

In this way, even if the film thickness of the film layer F before the etching treatment varies with the wafer W, the etching amount is changed for each wafer W according to the film thickness information of the wafer W before the treatment. In this way, the state of the wafer W after the etching process can be made uniform.

Here, the case where a plurality of parameters are changed is taken as an example, but the correction unit 18 only needs to change at least one parameter.

The correction unit 182 may determine the parameter to be changed and the amount of change from among a plurality of parameters included in the processing condition based on the relevant information recorded in the relevant database 194 .

As shown in FIG. 9, in the correlation database 194, a plurality of pieces of related information are stored. The so-called related information presents information related to the parameters included in the processing conditions and the etching amount. For example, in FIG. 9 , the related information about the temperature of the chemical solution and the etching amount, the related information about the concentration of the chemical solution and the etching amount, and the related information about the processing time and the etching amount are displayed. These relevant information are prepared according to the type of each film layer F and the type of each chemical solution.

The correction unit 182 may, for example, select the parameter with the highest rate of change of the etching amount with respect to the combination of the film layer F and the chemical solution, as the parameter to be corrected, among a plurality of parameters. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 9 , among the temperature of the chemical solution, the concentration of the chemical solution, and the processing time, the temperature of the chemical solution has the highest rate of change in the etching amount. In this case, the correction unit 182 selects the temperature of the chemical solution as the parameter to be corrected.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10 , in the correlation database 194 , for each position of the wafer W in the radial direction, correlation information relating to the contribution of a plurality of parameters to the etching amount is also stored. Here, as an example, it is related to the degree of contribution of the amount of exhaust gas, the rotational speed, the flow rate of the chemical solution, and the temperature of the chemical solution to the etching amount.

As shown in FIG. 10 , the contribution of the chemical solution temperature to the etching amount is highest in the center of the wafer W, and decreases as it approaches the outer periphery. On the contrary, the contribution of the chemical solution flow rate to the etching amount is higher as it is closer to the outer periphery of the wafer W. As shown in FIG.

In FIG. 11, it is shown that the wafer W_3 formed with the film layer F_3 thicker than that of the center system is processed by the etching processing unit 16_3; and the wafer W_3 formed of the film layer F_4 thicker than that of the center system of the outer periphery is formed W_4, the situation of processing by the etching processing unit 16_4.

The correction unit 182 acquires the pre-processing film thickness information of the wafer W_3 from the pre-processing film thickness database 191 . The film thickness information of the wafer W_3 before processing is equivalent to the film thickness distribution information of the film layer F_3. The correction part 182 changes the processing conditions of the etching processing part 16_3 from the initial process recipe according to the information of the film thickness before the processing of the wafer W_3 in order to eliminate the unevenness of the film thickness of the film layer F_3.

Specifically, the correction unit 182 increases the flow rate of the chemical solution and reduces the temperature of the chemical solution relative to the initial process recipe according to the relevant information shown in FIG. 10 . As described above, the contribution of the chemical solution flow rate to the etching amount increases as it approaches the outer periphery of the wafer W, and decreases toward the center. Therefore, by increasing the flow rate of the chemical solution, the etching amount of the film layer F_3 on the outer periphery of the wafer W_3 can be made larger than the etching amount of the film layer F_3 in the center of the wafer W. In addition, the contribution of the temperature of the chemical solution to the etching amount decreases as it approaches the outer periphery of the wafer W, and increases as it approaches the center. Therefore, by lowering the temperature of the chemical solution, the etching amount of the film layer F_3 in the center of the wafer W_3 can be smaller than that of the film layer F_3 in the outer periphery of the wafer W.

In this way, by increasing the flow rate of the chemical solution with a high contribution to the etching amount at the outer circumference of the wafer W, and reducing the temperature of the chemical solution with a low contribution degree, the etching of the outer circumference of the wafer W relative to the center can be improved. quantity. As a result, the film layer F_3 which is thicker than the outer periphery of the center system can be appropriately etched.

On the other hand, the correction unit 182 changes the processing conditions of the etching processing unit 16_4 from the initial process recipe in accordance with the pre-processing film thickness information of the wafer W_4 in order to eliminate the uneven thickness of the film layer F_4.

Specifically, the correction unit 182 reduces the flow rate of the chemical solution and increases the temperature of the chemical solution relative to the initial process recipe according to the relevant information shown in FIG. 10 . By increasing the temperature of the chemical solution, the etching amount of the film layer F_4 in the center of the wafer W_4 can be larger than that of the film layer F_4 in the center of the wafer W_4. Furthermore, by reducing the flow rate of the chemical solution, the etching amount of the film layer F_4 on the outer periphery of the wafer W_4 can be less than the etching amount of the film layer F_4 in the center of the wafer W_4.

In this way, by increasing the temperature of the chemical solution with a high contribution to the etching amount at the center of the wafer W and reducing the flow rate of the chemical solution with a low contribution, the etching of the center of the wafer W relative to the outer periphery can be improved. quantity. As a result, the film layer F_4 which is thicker than the center of the peripheral system can be appropriately etched.

In addition to the above-mentioned parameters such as the exhaust gas volume, rotational speed, chemical liquid flow rate, and chemical liquid temperature, there are also parameters such as the spray position of the chemical liquid, and the scanning of the spray position. The scan start position or scan speed, etc. The correction unit 182 can also eliminate unevenness in film thickness by changing these parameters.

Return to Figure 6. The calculation unit 183 calculates the etching amount based on the film thickness before the etching treatment and the film thickness after the etching treatment. Specifically, the calculation unit 183 acquires the pre-processing film thickness information of the corresponding wafer W from the pre-processing film thickness database 191 , and the post-processing film thickness information of the wafer W from the post-processing film thickness database 192 .

Then, the calculation unit 183 calculates the etching amount of the wafer W by subtracting the film thickness after the etching process included in the post-process film thickness information from the film thickness before the etching process included in the pre-process film thickness information . The calculation unit 183 stores the calculated etching amount, the information associated with the identification information of the wafer W and the identification information of the etching processing section 16 that processed the wafer W in the etching amount database 193 as etching amount information .

The determination part 184 determines whether the etching process is good or bad based on the etching amount calculated by the calculation part 183 .

For example, the determination unit 184 obtains the etching amount information of the corresponding wafer W from the etching amount database 193, and determines whether the etching amount included in the obtained etching amount information is included in a preset threshold range. As a result, when the etching amount is included in the threshold value range, it is determined that the etching process is normally performed. On the other hand, when the etching amount deviates from the threshold range, the determination unit 184 determines that the etching process is defective.

The determination unit 184 generates abnormality information and outputs it to the abnormality response processing unit 185 when it is determined that the etching process is defective. The abnormality information includes identification information of the wafer W determined to be defective, and the processed wafer W determined to be defective. Identification information of the etching processing unit 16 of the wafer W.

In this way, in the substrate processing system 1 of the embodiment, by judging whether the etching processing is good or bad in the substrate processing system 1, it is possible to find the defective etching processing at an early stage.

Defects in the etching process may occur due to failure of the etching process section 16 . In this case, if defects in the etching process can be found early, the number of wafers W processed by the etching processing unit 16 can be reduced until the defects are found. That is, it is possible to reduce the number of wafers W, which may also be prone to etching defects.

The determination unit 184 may also determine whether the etching process in one etching process part 16 is good or bad based on the etching amount in the plurality of etching process parts 16 .

As described above, in the etching amount database 193, the etching amount information that associates the etching amount with the identification information of the etching processing unit 16 is stored. The determination part 184 calculates the average value (individual average value) of the etching amount of the etching process performed in the past for each etching process part 16. FIG. Furthermore, the determination part 184 calculates the average value (the whole average value) of the etching amount of the etching process performed by all the etching process parts 16 in the past. In the etching processing unit 16, each time the etching processing is performed, the calculation of the individual average value and the overall average value is performed.

Then, when the deviation of the individual average value from the overall average value exceeds the threshold value, the determination unit 184 may determine that the etching process performed by the etching process unit 16 exceeding the threshold value is defective. Thereby, the unevenness of the etching amount among the etching processing parts 16 can be found at an early stage.

Furthermore, the determination unit 184 may monitor the temporal change of the etching amount in each etching processing unit 16 based on the etching amount information stored in the etching amount database 193 . In this case, every time the etching process is performed in the etching process part 16, the determination part 184 calculates the deviation of the etching amount of this time with respect to the initial etching amount. Then, when the deviation of the current etching amount from the initial etching amount exceeds the threshold value, the determination unit 184 may determine that the etching process performed by the etching processing unit 16 exceeding the threshold value is defective. Thereby, the deterioration over the years in the etching processing part 16 can be detected at an early stage.

The abnormality response processing unit 185 prohibits the use of the etching processing unit 16 that has been subjected to the etching processing to perform the etching processing when the determination unit 184 determines that the etching processing is defective.

As described above, by prohibiting the use of the etching processing unit 16 determined to be defective in the etching processing, the number of wafers W that may be subject to defective etching can be reduced.

In addition, the abnormality response processing unit 185 may output the abnormality information obtained from the determination unit 184 to the host device connected to the substrate processing system 1 .

<Specific operation of substrate processing system> Next, the specific operation of the substrate processing system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 12 . FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure executed by the substrate processing system 1 of the embodiment.

In the substrate processing system 1 , a pre-processing inspection process is first performed (step sequence S101 ). Specifically, the substrate transfer device 13 takes out the wafer W before the etching process from the carrier C, and places it on the transfer unit 40 arranged in the stacking unit 14 . After that, the substrate transfer device 17 takes out the wafer W from the transfer unit 40 and transfers it to the pre-processing inspection unit 50_1. Then, the pre-processing image is obtained by photographing the surface of the wafer W by the pre-processing inspection unit 50_1 , and the estimation unit 181 estimates the film thickness of the film layer F based on the pre-processing image.

Next, the determination unit 184 determines whether or not the film thickness before the etching process is normal (step S102 ). For example, when the variation in the film thickness before the etching process is too large to be eliminated by the correction process described later, the determination unit 184 determines that the film thickness before the etching process is defective. Specifically, when the film thickness estimated in step S101 deviates from the preset first threshold value range, the determination unit 184 determines that the film thickness before the etching process is defective.

When it is judged in step program S102 that the film thickness before the etching process is normal (step program S102, YES), correction processing is performed (step program S103). In the correction processing, the correction unit 182 corrects the processing conditions of the etching processing according to the film thickness information before processing. This correction processing is performed on the etching processing section 16 after it is determined which etching processing section 16 is to be the transfer destination of the wafer W.

In addition, the determination unit 184 may determine whether or not to perform the correction process before the correction process. For example, the substrate processing system 1 may have a correction mode for performing correction processing and a correction-free mode for not performing correction processing. In this case, the determination unit 184 may perform the correction processing of step S103 when the current mode is a correction mode, and omit step S103 when the current mode is no correction mode , and the process proceeds to step S104. Furthermore, the determination unit 184 may further perform the correction processing of step S103 when the film thickness estimated in step S101 deviates from the second threshold range which is smaller than the first threshold range.

Next, an etching process is performed (step sequence S104 ). During the etching process, the wafer W is taken out from the pre-processing inspection section 50_1 by the substrate transport apparatus 17 , and transported to the etching section 16 , where it is held by the holding section 62 a of the etching section 16 . The etching processing unit 16 supplies a chemical solution to the wafer W from the supply unit 63 while rotating the wafer W held by the holding unit 62 a by the driving unit 62 c. Thereby, the film layer F on the wafer W is etched. After that, the etching processing unit 16 supplies a rinsing liquid such as DIW (deionized water) to the wafer W from the supply unit 63 ; after that, the wafer W is rotated at a high speed using the driving unit 62 c to throw off the wafer W The rinsing solution on the wafer W is allowed to dry.

Next, post-processing inspection processing is performed (step program S105 ). In the post-processing inspection process, the wafer W is taken out from the etching processing unit 16 by the substrate transfer device 17 and conveyed to the post-processing inspection unit 50_2. Then, a post-processing image is obtained by photographing the surface of the wafer W by the post-processing inspection unit 50_2, and the estimation unit 181 estimates the film thickness of the film layer F based on the post-processing image.

Next, the etching amount calculation process is performed (step sequence S106 ). In the etching amount calculation process, the calculation unit 183 calculates the etching amount by subtracting the film thickness after the etching process estimated in the step S105 from the film thickness before the etching process estimated in the step process S101 .

Next, the determination unit 184 determines whether or not the etching process is normal based on the etching amount calculated in step S106 (step S107 ). In this process, when it is determined that the etching process is not good (step S107, NO), the abnormality countermeasure processing unit 185 performs abnormality countermeasure processing such as prohibiting the use of the etching process part 16 that has performed the over-etching process (step process S108).

In addition, when it is determined in step program S102 that the film thickness is not good (step program S102 , NO), abnormality countermeasure processing is also performed by the abnormality countermeasure processing unit 185 . In this case, the abnormality response processing unit 185, as abnormality response processing, for example, outputs abnormality information to the upper device, or performs a process of returning the wafer W to the carrier C; the abnormality information is information indicating that the film thickness is defective. , Information that is associated with the identification information of the corresponding wafer W.

When it is determined in step S107 that the etching process is normal (YES in step S107 ), or when the process of step S108 is terminated, a series of processes in the substrate processing system 1 is completed.

<Variation> FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of a substrate processing system according to a modification. As shown in FIG. 13 , the substrate processing system 1A may include a first apparatus 1A_1 including an inspection unit 50 and a second apparatus 1A_2 including a plurality of etching processing units 16 . The first apparatus 1A_1 and the second apparatus 1A_2 are different entities, and the carrier C is used to transfer the wafer W between the first apparatus 1A_1 and the second apparatus 1A_2. The second apparatus 1A_2 corresponds to, for example, the configuration in which the inspection unit 50 is removed from the substrate processing system 1 shown in FIG. 1 ; specifically, the configuration in which the pre-processing inspection unit 50_1 and the post-processing inspection unit 50_2 are removed.

The substrate processing systems 1 and 1A only need to include at least the post-processing inspection unit 50_2, and it is not necessary to include the pre-processing inspection unit 50_1. That is, the substrate processing systems 1 and 1A may acquire the pre-processing image or the pre-processing film thickness information from the inspection apparatus provided outside the substrate processing systems 1 and 1A.

The substrate processing systems 1 and 1A may use one inspection unit 50 to acquire a pre-processing image and a post-processing image.

As described above, the substrate processing system (eg, the substrate processing system 1 , as an example) of the embodiment includes an etching processing unit (eg, the etching processing unit 16 , as an example), and an inspection unit (eg, the inspection unit 50 as an example) ), an estimation unit (as an example, the estimation unit 181 ), a calculation unit (as an example, as the calculation unit 183 ), and a determination unit (as an example, as the determination unit 184 ). The etching treatment section performs an etching treatment of etching a film layer (for example, film layer F) formed on the surface of a substrate (for example, wafer W). The inspection part images the surface of the substrate after the etching process. The estimation unit estimates the film thickness of the film layer according to the image captured by the inspection unit. The calculation part calculates the etching amount of the film layer based on the film thickness of the film layer before the etching process and the film thickness of the film layer estimated by the estimation part. The determination unit determines whether the etching process is good or bad based on the etching amount calculated by the calculation unit. Therefore, according to the substrate processing system of the embodiment, defects in the etching process can be found early.

The inspection part can also acquire a pre-processing image by photographing the surface of the substrate before etching, and acquire a post-processing image by photographing the surface of the substrate after etching. Furthermore, the estimation unit may estimate the film thickness of the film layer before the etching treatment according to the pre-processing image, and estimate the film thickness of the film layer after the etching treatment according to the post-processing image. With this configuration, it is possible to obtain a pre-processing image near the etching process and a post-processing image immediately after the etching process. Therefore, both the film thickness before the etching process and the film thickness after the etching process can be estimated with good accuracy.

The inspection unit may also include: a pre-processing inspection unit (as an example, the pre-processing inspection unit 50_1 ), which acquires a pre-processing image by photographing the surface of the substrate before the etching process; and a post-processing inspection unit (as an example, For example, the post-processing inspection part 50_2) is provided as a different entity from the pre-processing inspection part, and the post-processing image is obtained by photographing the surface of the etched substrate. Furthermore, the estimation unit may estimate the film thickness of the film layer before the etching treatment according to the pre-processing image, and estimate the film thickness of the film layer after the etching treatment according to the post-processing image. In this way, by using different inspection units to obtain the pre-processing image and the post-processing image, the productivity can be improved.

The substrate processing system of the embodiment may include an abnormality response processing unit (for example, the abnormality response processing unit 185), and when the determination unit determines that the etching processing is not good, the etching processing that has been subjected to the etching processing is prohibited. part to perform the etching process. In this way, by prohibiting the use of the etching processing section judged to be defective in the etching processing, the number of substrates which may have poor etching processing can be reduced.

The substrate processing system of the embodiment may include a plurality of etching processing units. In this case, the determination unit may determine whether the etching treatment in one etching treatment section is good or bad based on the etching amount in the plurality of etching treatment sections. Thereby, the unevenness of the etching amount among the etching process parts can be found at an early stage.

The substrate processing system of the embodiment may include a memory unit (for example, the memory unit 19 ) to record the etching amount calculated by the calculation unit. In this case, the determination unit may determine whether the etching process is good or bad based on the temporal change of the etching amount calculated based on the plurality of etching amounts recorded in the memory unit. Thereby, the deterioration over the years of the etching process part can be detected at an early stage.

The substrate processing system of the embodiment may include a correction unit (for example, the correction unit 182 ) for correcting the processing conditions of the etching processing on the substrate according to the film thickness of the film layer before the etching processing. In this way, even if the film thickness (average film thickness or film thickness distribution) before the etching treatment varies with the substrate, the state of the substrate after the etching treatment can be made uniform by correcting the treatment conditions of the etching treatment. .

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all points and not intended to be limiting. The above-described embodiment can be realized in various forms. In addition, the above-described embodiments can be omitted, replaced, and changed in various forms without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

S101~S108: Step program 1,1A: Substrate Processing System 4: Control device 11: Carrier mounting part 12: Handling Department 13: Substrate conveying device 14: Lamination Department 15: Handling Department 16,16_1~16_4: Etching processing department 17: Substrate conveying device 18: Control Department 19: Memory Department C: carrier W,W_1~W_4: Wafer 61: Chamber 61a: Fan filter unit 62: Substrate holding mechanism 62a: Retaining part 62b: Pillar 62c: Drive Department 62d: Temperature adjustment section 63: Supply Department 63a: Chemical liquid supply source 63b: Density adjustment section 63c: Diluent supply source 63d: Temperature adjustment section 63e: Flow Adjustment Department 64: Recycle Cup 64a: Drain port 64b: exhaust port 40: Transmission Department 50: Inspection Department 50_1: Pre-processing Inspection Department 50_2: Post-processing inspection department 51: Shell 52: Retaining part 53: Rails 54: Drive Department 55: Photography Department 56: Half mirror 57: Lighting installations 181: Reckoning Department 182: Correction Department 183: Calculation Department 184: Judgment Department 185: Abnormal Response Processing Department 191: Preprocessing Thickness Database 192: Post-processing film thickness database 193: Etching Volume Database 194: Related Databases F_1~F_4: film layer 1A_1: Device 1 1A_2: 2nd device

[ Fig. 1] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a substrate processing system according to an embodiment. [ Fig. 2] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the etching processing portion of the embodiment. [ Fig. 3] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the lamination section according to the embodiment. [ Fig. 4] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the inspection portion of the embodiment viewed from above. [ Fig. 5] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the inspection portion of the embodiment viewed from the side. [ Fig. 6] Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device according to the embodiment. [ Fig. 7] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of film thickness estimation processing. [ Fig. 8] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of correction processing based on the average film thickness. [FIG. 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of related information stored in a related database. [FIG. 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the related information stored in the related database. [ Fig. 11] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of correction processing based on the in-plane distribution of film thickness. [ Fig. 12] Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing executed by the substrate processing system of the embodiment. [ Fig. 13] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of a substrate processing system according to a modification.

4: Control device

16: Etching Department

18: Control Department

181: Reckoning Department

182: Correction Department

183: Calculation Department

184: Judgment Department

185: Abnormal Response Processing Department

19: Memory Department

191: Preprocessing Thickness Database

192: Post-processing film thickness database

193: Etching Volume Database

194: Related Databases

50_1: Pre-processing Inspection Department

50_2: Post-processing inspection department

Claims (8)

A substrate processing system, comprising: The etching treatment part performs etching treatment for etching the film layer formed on the surface of the substrate; The inspection part takes pictures of the surface of the substrate after the etching treatment; an estimation part, for estimating the film thickness of the film layer according to the image taken by the inspection part; a calculating part, according to the film thickness of the film layer before the etching treatment and the film thickness of the film layer estimated by the calculating part, to calculate the etching amount of the film layer; and The determination unit determines whether the etching process is good or bad based on the etching amount calculated by the calculation unit. The substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein, The inspection part obtains an image before treatment by photographing the surface of the substrate before the etching treatment, and obtains an image after treatment by photographing the surface of the substrate after the etching treatment; The estimation part estimates the film thickness of the film layer before the etching treatment according to the pre-processing image, and estimates the film thickness of the film layer after the etching treatment according to the post-processing image. The substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein, The inspection section includes a pre-processing inspection section and a post-processing inspection section; The pre-processing inspection section obtains a pre-processing image by photographing the surface of the substrate before the etching processing; The post-processing inspection part and the pre-processing inspection part are provided as different entities, and a post-processing image is obtained by photographing the surface of the substrate after the etching process; The estimation part estimates the film thickness of the film layer before the etching treatment according to the pre-processing image, and estimates the film thickness of the film layer after the etching treatment according to the post-processing image. The substrate processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: The abnormality response processing unit prohibits the use of the etching processing unit that has performed the etching processing to perform the etching processing when the determination unit determines that the etching processing is defective. The substrate processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: a plurality of the etching processing parts; The determination department, The quality of the etching treatment in one of the etching treatment sections is determined according to the etching amount in the plurality of etching treatment sections. The substrate processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: a memory unit for recording the etching amount calculated by the calculating unit, and the recorded etching amount is recorded by establishing a relationship with the identification information of the etching treatment section that has performed the etching treatment; The determination department, The quality of the etching process is determined based on the time-lapse change of the etching amount calculated based on the plurality of etching amounts recorded in the memory portion. The substrate processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: The modifying unit modifies the processing conditions of the etching treatment on the substrate according to the film thickness of the film layer before the etching treatment. A substrate processing method, comprising the following steps: For the film layer formed on the surface of the substrate, the step of etching; the step of photographing the surface of the substrate after the etching step; The step of estimating the film thickness of the film layer according to the image captured by the photographing step; The step of calculating the etching amount of the film according to the film thickness of the film before the etching step and the film thickness of the film estimated by the estimation step; and A step of judging whether the etching step is good or bad according to the etching amount calculated in the calculating step.

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