Substrate processing device

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate. The substrates to be processed include, for example, semiconductor wafers, LCD display substrate, plasma display substrate, FED (Field Emission Display) substrate, optical disk substrate, magnetic disk substrate, magneto-optical disk substrate, photo. Includes mask substrates and the like. Examples of the treatment for these substrates include treatment using a treatment fluid (treatment liquid or treatment gas) and heat treatment (heat treatment or cooling treatment).

For example, in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a substrate processing device is used to perform various processes on a semiconductor wafer. Each substrate processing apparatus includes a plurality of processing units that process the substrate. Each processing unit is provided with a unit controller for controlling each part of the processing unit. A plurality of unit controllers corresponding to a plurality of processing units are connected to a main controller that controls the entire board processing apparatus, and data can be exchanged with and from the main controller. The main controller is further connected to the host computer, if necessary.

The main controller is provided with a recipe database that holds recipe data that defines the contents of board processing to be executed in a plurality of processing units. Appropriate recipe data extracted from this recipe database is sent from the main controller to the unit controller. The unit controller controls each part in the processing unit according to the recipe data given from the main controller, and executes the board processing.

The host computer provides the main controller with correction data for correcting the recipe data, if necessary. In this case, the main controller corrects the recipe data read from the recipe database with the correction data, and transmits the corrected recipe data to the unit controller. An example of the correction data is the standby time of the substrate from the previous process to the start of processing by the substrate processing apparatus. For example, in the case of a substrate processing apparatus that removes the resist residue (polymer) remaining on the substrate surface after performing dry etching (preliminary step) using a resist as a mask, a very small amount of etching gas remaining on the substrate. Therefore, the chemical reaction gradually proceeds during the waiting time of the substrate. Of course, this chemical reaction proceeds as the waiting time of the substrate increases. Therefore, when the standby time of the substrate is given to the main controller as correction data, the main controller corrects the recipe data according to the progress of the chemical reaction.

Another example of the correction data is data (atmosphere state data) such as temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure of the atmosphere in which the substrate processing apparatus is placed. Substrate processing is affected by these atmospheric conditions. Therefore, when the atmosphere state data is given to the main controller, the main controller corrects the recipe data according to the atmosphere state data. On the other hand, with the miniaturization and higher definition of the patterns formed on the substrate, the form of the substrate processing apparatus has changed from a batch type that processes a plurality of substrates at once to a single-wafer type that processes the substrates one by one. Is shifting to. The single-wafer type substrate processing apparatus includes, for example, an indexer unit and a substrate processing unit. The indexer unit has a carrier holding portion that holds a carrier (cassette, pod, or other substrate containing container) capable of accommodating a plurality of (for example, 25) substrates, and a substrate for the carrier held by the carrier holding portion. It is equipped with an indexer robot that can be taken in and out. The substrate processing unit includes a plurality of processing units and a substrate transfer robot that transfers a substrate to and from the plurality of processing units. The board transfer robot and the indexer robot are arranged so that the boards can be delivered.

The unprocessed substrate is taken out from one of the carriers by the indexer robot and delivered to the substrate transfer robot. The board transfer robot transfers the received unprocessed board to one of the processing units and carries it into the processing unit. The processed substrate is carried out from the processing unit by the substrate transfer robot, conveyed to the indexer robot, and delivered to the indexer robot. The indexer robot stores the received processed substrate in one of the carriers.<patcit num="1"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-305269</text></patcit>

<p> A plurality of substrates housed in one carrier have different waiting times from being set in the substrate processing apparatus to being actually processed by the processing unit. Nevertheless, in the above-mentioned prior art, a common process according to the recipe data corrected by the main controller is applied to a plurality of substrates. Therefore, it is not possible to perform optimized processing on individual substrates.</p><p> It may be considered that this problem can be solved by predicting the time until each board is actually processed in the main controller and creating correction recipe data for each board based on the prediction result. However, in reality, it is impossible to accurately predict the time until the substrate is actually processed. In particular, in the case of a substrate processing apparatus including a large number of processing units, it is often difficult to predict in advance which processing unit each substrate will be processed by. Therefore, it is not possible to accurately predict the waiting time until each substrate is processed. Moreover, the overhead of time to calculate the correction recipe data in the main controller becomes large, and in particular, when a large number of processing units are provided, the processing is concentrated on the main controller, which may cause a non-negligible overhead.</p><p> Further, in the above-mentioned prior art, common correction recipe data is applied to a plurality of substrates processed by a plurality of processing units according to the detection result of the atmosphere state of the substrate processing apparatus. However, in reality, the atmosphere state is different for each processing unit, and there is no guarantee that the atmosphere state will be kept constant at the timing when each substrate is processed. Therefore, in the above-mentioned prior art, it cannot be said that the optimized processing can be performed on each substrate from this viewpoint as well.</p><p> Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of performing substrate processing having appropriate contents on individual substrates or a predetermined number of substrate groups.</p>

<p> The invention according to claim 1 for achieving the above object includes a processing unit (11 to 14,81 to 84) for processing the substrate (W) and the contents of the substrate processing (processing procedure, processing). The main controller (51) that holds the recipe data representing the condition), the unit controllers (41 to 44) that are provided in the processing unit and are communicably connected to the main controller, and the processing unit that are provided with the processing unit. The unit controller includes state parameter detecting means (48,70,71,79) for detecting state parameters related to the state of each individual substrate supplied to the processing unit or for each predetermined number of substrate groups. Corrects the recipe data receiving means (68,76) that receives the recipe data from the main controller and the recipe data received by the recipe data receiving means according to the detection result by the state parameter detecting means. It includes recipe data correction means (72,73) for creating final execution recipe data and board processing control means (78) for controlling board processing according to the final execution recipe data corrected by the recipe data correction means. , A substrate processing device. The alphanumeric characters in parentheses represent the corresponding components and the like in the embodiments described later. The same shall apply hereinafter in this section.</p><p> According to this configuration, the processing unit is provided with a state parameter detecting means for detecting a state parameter of a substrate supplied to the processing unit or a predetermined number of substrates (particularly, a group of substrates that are collectively processed at the same time). .. The recipe data correction means provided in the unit controller of the processing unit corrects the recipe data based on the state parameter detected by the state parameter detection means. As a result, the final execution recipe data optimized for each individual substrate or each substrate group can be obtained. In this way, it is possible to apply an appropriate substrate treatment to each substrate. Moreover, since the correction of the recipe data is performed not by the main controller but by the unit controller, the final execution recipe that is surely optimized for each individual board or each individual board group can be obtained, and the main controller There is no risk of the processing load becoming excessive.</p><p> The invention according to claim 2 is the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the unit controller further includes a correction content notification means (69) for notifying the main controller of the correction content by the recipe data correction means. .. According to this configuration, since the correction content of the recipe data in each processing unit is notified to the main controller, the main controller can manage the processing history for each substrate or the substrate group. It is preferable that the correction content of the recipe data in the processing unit is held in the main controller and can be referred to by the host controller (55) or the user as needed.</p><p> According to a third aspect of the present invention, the state parameter detecting means includes an atmosphere state detecting means (48) for detecting a state of a substrate processing atmosphere (board processing environment data: temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure) in the processing unit. Item 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to item 1 or 2. According to this configuration, the recipe data can be corrected according to the state of the substrate processing atmosphere in each processing unit. As a result, the substrate processing content can be optimized according to the processing status of each individual substrate or each individual substrate group, and the substrate processing quality can be further improved. For example, the substrate processing atmosphere (board processing environment) in the processing unit may fluctuate between the time when the substrate to be processed is carried into the substrate processing apparatus and the time when the substrate is actually processed in the processing unit. Even in such a case, appropriate processing can be performed for each individual substrate or substrate group. On the contrary, since it is not necessary to strictly control the atmosphere in the processing unit, it is possible to omit an expensive air conditioning unit and reduce the cost of the device.</p><p> In the invention according to claim 4, the state parameter detecting means is an individual substrate or a predetermined number of substrates, from the end of the pre-process, which is a step before processing by the substrate processing apparatus, to the processing in the processing unit. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a waiting time calculating means (70,71,79) for obtaining the waiting time of the above. According to this configuration, the recipe data can be corrected according to the waiting time from the previous process to the actual processing. Therefore, even if some chemical reaction proceeds on the substrate after the previous step and the state of the substrate surface changes momentarily with the passage of time, the state of the substrate immediately before the processing by the processing unit It is possible to perform substrate processing with appropriate contents according to the above. Thereby, the substrate processing quality can be further improved.</p><p> According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the standby time calculation means is the first standby time, which is the standby time of the substrate from the end of the previous step to the start of the processing by the substrate processing apparatus after being carried into the substrate processing apparatus. After the processing by the first standby time acquisition means (68,74) for acquiring the data corresponding to the time and the substrate processing apparatus is started, the processing by the processing unit for each substrate or the predetermined number of substrate groups is started. The second standby time measuring means (71) for measuring the second waiting time, which is the waiting time until the first waiting time, and the total waiting time calculating means for calculating the total waiting time by adding the first waiting time and the second waiting time. (79) The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4.</p><p> According to this configuration, the unit controller acquires the first standby time from the previous process to the start of processing by the substrate processing apparatus, while measuring the second standby time, which is the subsequent standby time, and the second standby time is measured. By adding up the 1st and 2nd standby times, the total standby time for each individual substrate or substrate group can be obtained. As a result, the recipe data can be corrected based on the accurate waiting time from the previous process, and appropriate processing can be performed for each individual substrate or substrate group.</p><p> The first standby time is, for example, until the carrier (C) accommodating a plurality of substrates that have undergone the previous step is charged into the substrate processing apparatus and processing by the plurality of substrates held by the carriers is started. Waiting time. The second standby time is, for example, the waiting time from the acquisition of the first standby time by the first standby time acquisition means until the individual substrates or the substrate group are carried to the processing unit.</p><p> According to the invention of claim 6, the recipe data correction means includes a plurality of correction functions or correction tables corresponding to a plurality of processing types (such as a type of chemical solution) specified by the recipe data, and the correction function or correction The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the recipe data is corrected according to the state parameters detected by the state parameter detecting means according to the table.</p><p> According to this configuration, in the unit controller, appropriate correction corresponding to the state parameter can be performed according to the type of recipe data. This enables correction processing corresponding to a plurality of types of recipe data. It is preferable that the coefficient of the correction function or the content of the correction table can be changed by, for example, the host controller or the user. Thereby, the mode of correction of the recipe data can be changed.</p><p> The invention according to claim 7 is the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the main controller includes correction data receiving means (62,66) for receiving correction data for recipe data from the outside. .. The recipe data correction based on the correction data may be performed by the main controller or the unit controller. When the unit controller corrects the recipe data based on at least a part of the correction data, the correction data is transmitted from the main controller to the unit controller.</p><p> For example, when the correction data includes those related to a plurality of types of correction elements (factors), the main controller corrects the recipe data related to some correction elements, and the unit controller corrects the recipe data related to the remaining correction elements. You may do so. The correction data receiving means may be one that accepts correction data from the host controller, one that accepts input of correction data by the user, or one that accepts both of them. ..</p><p> 7. The invention according to claim 8 further comprises the correction data transmitting means (65) in which the main controller transmits a part or all of the correction data received by the correction data receiving means to the unit controller. The substrate processing apparatus described. With this configuration, the unit controller can correct the recipe data based on the correction data given from the outside.</p><p> In the invention according to claim 9, the correction data receiving means includes means (62,66) for receiving waiting time data representing a waiting time of a substrate from a previous step to the start of processing by the substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the correction data transmitting means includes a means (65) for transmitting the standby time data to the processing unit. With this configuration, the unit controller can correct the recipe data based on the waiting time data. For example, when combined with the configuration of claim 5, the unit controller can calculate the waiting time from the previous process until each board or group of boards is actually processed, so that each board or board can be calculated. Appropriate processing can be performed according to the actual waiting time of the group.</p><p> The waiting time data may be data in a format representing the waiting time itself, or may represent a recipe data correction value corresponding to the waiting time.</p>

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view for explaining a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. This substrate processing apparatus is a single-wafer type apparatus for processing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer with a processing liquid, and is installed and used in a clean room of a semiconductor manufacturing factory or the like.

This substrate processing apparatus can hold a carrier C for accommodating the substrate, and is coupled to the indexer portion 1 for moving the substrate in and out of the carrier C and the indexer portion 1 to process the substrate. It is equipped with a processing unit 2 for the purpose. The indexer portion 1 can hold a plurality of carriers C along a predetermined horizontal direction. The indexer unit 1 includes an indexer robot 3 that carries out the unprocessed substrate and the processed substrate with respect to the plurality of held carriers C. The carrier C may be a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) that stores the substrate in a sealed state, a SMIF (Standard Mechanical Inter Face) pod, or an OC (Open Cassette). Good.

The processing unit 2 receives a plurality of (four in this embodiment) processing units 11 to 14 and unprocessed substrates from the indexer robot 3 and carries them into one of the processing units 11 to 14, and these processing units 11 It is equipped with a main transfer robot 5 that carries out the processed board from ~ 14 and delivers it to the indexer robot 3. More specifically, the transport path 6 is formed along the direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the carriers C in the indexer portion 1. The main transfer robot 5 is arranged in this transfer path 6. Two processing units 11 and 12 are arranged along the transport path 6 on one side of the transport path 6, and the remaining two processing units 13 and 14 are arranged on the other side of the transport path 6 in the transport path 6. It is arranged along.

The processing units 11 to 14 can be subjected to common processing, for example, and the unprocessed substrate is carried into any of the processing units 11 to 14 for processing. More specifically, one unprocessed substrate is carried out from the carrier C by the indexer robot 3 and delivered to the main transfer robot 5. The main transfer robot 5 is provided with, for example, a pair of hands capable of holding each of the substrates. With one hand, the processed substrate is carried out from one of the processing units 11 to 14, and the other hand is used. , The unprocessed substrate is carried into the processing unit. The processed substrate that has been carried out is delivered from the main transfer robot 5 to the indexer robot 3. The indexer robot 3 carries the processed substrate into the carrier C.

FIG. 2 is an illustrated diagram for explaining a configuration example of the processing units 11 to 14. In this example, the processing units 11 to 14 perform a polymer removing treatment for removing the resist residue (polymer) remaining on the surface of the substrate W after the dry etching treatment. The processing units 11 to 14 are single-wafer polymer removal processing units that process the substrates W one by one, and are provided with a spin chuck 20 for holding and rotating the substrate W horizontally in the processing chamber 21. , A chemical solution nozzle 22 for supplying a polymer removing solution, which is a chemical solution for removing a polymer, to the upper surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20, and pure water is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20. It is equipped with a pure water nozzle 23 for this purpose.

As an example of the polymer removing liquid, at least one of a liquid containing an organic alkaline liquid, a liquid containing an organic acid, a liquid containing an inorganic acid, and a liquid containing a vaporized ammon-based substance can be used. Among them, examples of the liquid containing an organic alkaline liquid include a liquid containing at least one of DMF (dimethylformamide), DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide), hydroxylamine, and choline. Examples of the liquid containing an organic acid include a liquid containing at least one of citric acid, oxalic acid, iminodic acid, and amber acid. Examples of the liquid containing an inorganic acid include a liquid containing at least one of hydrofluoric acid and phosphoric acid. Other polymer removers include 1-methyl-2pyrrolidone, tetrahydrothiophene 1.1-dioxide, isopropanolamine, monoethanolamine, 2- (2aminoethoxy) ethanol, catechol, N-methylpyrrolidone, aromatic diol, perklen, etc. There are liquids containing at least one of the liquids containing phenol, and more specifically, a mixture of 1-methyl-2pyrrolidone, tetrahydrothiophene 1.1-dioxide and isopropanolamine, dimethylsulfoxide and monoeta. Mixed solution with noramine, mixed solution with 2- (2 aminoethoxy) ethanol, hydroxyamine and catechol, mixed solution with 2- (2 aminoethoxy) ethanol and N-methylpyrrolidone, monoethanolamine, water and aroma At least one of a mixed solution with tickdiol, a mixed solution with perfrene and phenol, and the like can be mentioned. In addition, a liquid containing at least one of amines such as triethanolamine and pentamethyldiethylenetriamine, propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether and the like can be mentioned.

As the spin chuck 20, for example, the substrate W can be held substantially horizontally by vacuum-sucking the non-device forming surface (lower surface) of the substrate W with the device forming surface of the substrate W facing upward. A vacuum suction type (vacuum chuck) that can be used is used. This vacuum suction type spin chuck 20 rotates the held substrate W in a horizontal plane by rotating around a vertical rotation axis passing substantially the center of the substrate W, for example, while holding the substrate W. Can be done. Of course, instead of the vacuum suction type, a mechanical chuck in which the substrate W is sandwiched by a plurality of chuck pins abutting on the peripheral edge of the substrate W can be applied.

The spin chuck 20 is housed in the processing cup 24. The processing cup 24 surrounds the spin chuck 20 and has an annular drainage groove 25 for draining pure water and the like after being used for processing the substrate W and a treatment of the substrate W at the bottom. It has an annular recovery groove 26 for recovering the drug solution after it has been used for. The drainage groove 25 and the recovery groove 26 are separated by a tubular partition wall 27, and an exhaust passage 28 having one end facing the drainage groove 25 is formed below the partition wall 27. There is. An exhaust duct 29 in the cup is connected to the other end of the exhaust passage 28. Reference numeral 18 denotes a fan filter unit (FFU) that sends a downflow of clean air into the processing chamber 21, and reference numeral 19 denotes a processing chamber exhaust duct for exhausting the inside of the processing chamber 21.

In connection with the processing cup 24, a splash guard 30 for capturing the chemical solution or pure water scattered from the substrate W is provided. The splash guard 30 has a shape that is substantially rotationally symmetric with respect to the rotation axis of the substrate W, and the inner surface of the upper portion has a dogleg-shaped cross section that is open so as to face the rotation axis of the substrate W. It is part 31. Further, in the lower portion of the splash guard 30, a recovered liquid trapping portion 32 having an inclined curved surface that is directed downward in the radial direction of the substrate W is formed. A partition wall storage groove 33 for receiving the partition wall 27 of the processing cup 24 is formed near the upper end of the recovery liquid trap 32.

The splash guard 30 is configured to be able to move up and down with respect to the processing cup 24, and the drainage capture unit 31 or the recovery liquid capture unit 32 is opposed to the peripheral end surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20, or the spin chuck is used. It can be retracted below the holding position of the substrate W by the spin chuck 20 so as not to interfere with the loading / unloading of the substrate W with respect to 20.

In a state where the drainage capture unit 31 faces the peripheral end surface of the substrate W, the chemical solution or pure water scattered from the substrate W can be captured by the drainage capture unit 31. The chemical solution or pure water captured by the drainage catching section 31 flows down along the drainage catching section 31, is collected in the drainage groove 25 of the processing cup 24, and flows from the drainage groove 25 to the drainage pipe 25A. The liquid is drained to a wastewater treatment facility (not shown). Further, in a state where the recovery liquid capture unit 32 faces the peripheral end surface of the substrate W, the treatment liquid (mainly the chemical solution) scattered from the substrate W can be captured by the recovery liquid capture unit 32. The treatment liquid captured by the recovery liquid capture unit 32 flows down along the recovery liquid capture unit 32, is collected in the collection groove 26 of the treatment cup 24, and returns the used treatment liquid from the recovery groove 26. It is collected in a chemical liquid cabinet (not shown) through a recovery pipe 26A, which is a treatment liquid return pipe.

A chemical solution supply pipe 35 for supplying a chemical solution from the chemical solution cabinet is connected to the chemical solution nozzle 22. In the middle of the chemical solution supply pipe 35, a temperature controller 36 for adjusting the chemical solution to a temperature suitable for processing and a chemical solution for controlling the discharge of the chemical solution from the chemical solution nozzle 22 are in order from the chemical solution supply source side. A supply valve 37 is interposed. A chemical liquid circulation pipe 38 branching from the chemical liquid supply pipe 35 is connected between the chemical liquid nozzle 22 and the temperature controller 36. The chemical liquid circulation pipe 38 is a treatment liquid return pipe that returns the treatment liquid before being used for processing the substrate W to the chemical liquid cabinet, and when the chemical liquid supply valve 37 is closed, the temperature controller 36 is removed from the chemical liquid cabinet. It reaches near the chemical solution supply valve 37 (near the chemical solution nozzle 22) and forms a chemical solution circulation path that is returned to the chemical solution cabinet again.

A pure water supply pipe 39 for supplying pure water from a pure water supply module (not shown) is connected to the pure water nozzle 23. A pure water supply valve 40 is interposed in the middle of the pure water supply pipe 39, and by opening and closing the pure water supply valve 40, pure water can be supplied from the pure water nozzle 23 to the substrate W. The supply of pure water to the substrate W can be stopped. The processing units 11 to 14 are provided with unit controllers 41 to 44 for controlling each part in the unit. The unit controllers 41 to 44 control the operation of the rotary drive mechanism 45 that applies a rotational force to the spin chuck 20 and the elevating drive mechanism 46 that raises and lowers the splash guard 30, and opens and closes the chemical liquid supply valve 37 and the pure water supply valve 40. It controls and further controls the energization of the temperature controller 36. Further, at least one atmosphere state sensor 48 for detecting the state of the atmosphere in the processing chambers 21 of the individual processing units 11 to 14 is connected to the unit controllers 41 to 44. The atmospheric pressure sensor 48 detects an atmospheric pressure that affects substrate processing, and examples thereof include a temperature sensor that detects the temperature in the processing chamber 21, a humidity sensor that detects the humidity in the processing chamber 21, and processing. Examples include an air pressure sensor that detects the air pressure in the chamber 21 and an exhaust flow rate sensor that detects the exhaust flow rate (exhaust air volume in the processing chamber exhaust duct 19) of the processing chamber 21.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining the electrical configuration of the substrate processing apparatus. Unit controllers 41 to 44 corresponding to a plurality of processing units 11 to 14 are connected to a local area network 50 (for example, Ethernet®). A main controller 51 that controls the entire board processing device (control of the transfer schedule and board processing contents, etc.) is connected to the local area network 50, and further, an indexer controller 52 for controlling the indexer unit 1 is connected. And the main transfer controller 53 for controlling the main transfer robot 5 is connected. Further, if necessary, a host controller 55 for externally giving correction data or the like to the main controller 51 is connected. With such a configuration, the main controller 51 can perform data communication with the unit controllers 41 to 44, the indexer controller 52, the main transport controller 53, and the host controller 55 via the local area network 50. Further, the main controller 51 is connected to a display unit 57 and an operation unit 58 (keyboard, pointing device, etc.) that form a man-machine interface with the operator.

The main controller 51 has a recipe database 60 for storing basic recipe data that defines board processing contents (processing procedures and processing conditions) to be executed in processing units 11 to 14, and correction contents to be applied to the basic recipe data. The correction data storage unit 61 that stores the correction data, the correction control unit 62 that accepts the input of correction data from the host controller 55 and / or the operation unit 58, and the correction required for the basic recipe data based on the correction data. For data transmission to the correction processing unit 63 that creates execution recipe data (correction recipe data), the execution recipe data storage unit 64 that saves the created execution recipe data, and unit controllers 41 to 44, etc. It includes a data transmission unit 65 and a data reception unit 66 that receives various data from the unit controllers 41 to 44, the host controller 55, and the like.

The basic recipe data can be created by the operator operating the operation unit 58, or can be given from the host controller 55 to the main controller 51 via the local area network 50 and stored in the recipe database 60. The correction control unit 62 receives the correction data as an external input from the host controller 55 or the operation unit 58, and stores the correction data in the correction data storage unit 61. Further, the correction processing unit 63 reads the basic recipe data from the recipe database 60, corrects the basic recipe data based on the correction data, creates the execution recipe data, and stores the execution recipe data storage unit 64. The data transmission unit 65 reads the execution recipe data from the execution recipe data storage unit 64 and transmits the execution recipe data to the unit controllers 41 to 44.

The correction data is tuning data for tuning the basic recipe data. The correction data includes, for example, correction data corresponding to the processing conditions in the previous process and correction data (elapsed time data) representing the elapsed time from the previous process. More specifically, the elapsed time from the previous process means that the carrier C accommodating the substrate W is set in the substrate processing apparatus after the dry etching which is the pre-process is completed, and the substrate accommodated in the carrier C is set. This is the waiting time of the substrate W until the processing for W is started. In this embodiment, the correction process of the recipe data based on the elapsed time data is not performed by the main controller 51, but is performed by the unit controllers 41 to 44. Therefore, the correction control unit 62 causes the data transmission unit 65 to transmit the elapsed time data among the correction data to the unit controllers 41 to 44.

The elapsed time data is given by the host controller 55 or the operation unit 58 as numerical data indicating the elapsed time from the previous process, and the elapsed time data is the numerical data indicating the liquid processing correction time according to the elapsed time data of the host controller 55 or the operation unit. It may be given from 58. FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining the electrical configuration of the unit controllers 41 to 44. The unit controllers 41 to 44 include a sensor data input unit 70, an elapsed time measurement unit 71, a correction data processing unit 72, a correction function data holding unit 73, a main correction data holding unit 74, and a local correction data holding unit 75. The execution recipe data holding unit 76, the final execution recipe data holding unit 77, the board processing control unit 78, and the total elapsed time from the end of the previous process to the start of processing of the board W in the processing unit are calculated. The total elapsed time calculation unit 79 is provided. Further, the unit controllers 41 to 44 include a data receiving unit 68 that receives data from the main controller 51 via the local area network 50, and a data transmitting unit 69 that transmits data to the main controller 51 via the local area network 50. It has.

The sensor data input unit 70 receives input data from the atmosphere state sensor 48. The elapsed time measuring unit 71 measures the elapsed time from when the substrate W to be processed is carried into the substrate processing apparatus until the individual substrates W are conveyed to the processing units 11 to 14. More specifically, the elapsed time measuring unit 71 measures the elapsed time since the elapsed time data, which is a part of the correction data, is received by the data receiving unit 68 from the main controller 51.

The elapsed time data (first standby time) given from the main controller 51 is acquired by the data receiving unit 68 and held in the main correction data holding unit 74. The total elapsed time calculation unit 79 adds the elapsed time data (second standby time) measured by the elapsed time measuring unit 71 to the elapsed time data held in the main correction data holding unit 74, thereby performing individual boards. For W, the total elapsed time data (total standby time) representing the total elapsed time from the previous process to receiving the processing by the processing unit is calculated.

The correction data processing unit 72 uses the correction function data held in the correction function data holding unit 73 based on the sensor data acquired by the sensor data input unit 70 and the total elapsed time data calculated by the total elapsed time calculation unit 79. Refer to it and create correction data to correct the execution recipe data. This correction data is held in the local correction data holding unit 75. Since the sensor data and the total elapsed time data represent the state of the board W (the state of the board itself and the environment in which the board is placed) when processing each board W, the term "state parameter" is used hereinafter collectively. That is.

Hereinafter, the correction data (elapsed time data in this embodiment) given from the main controller 51 and held in the main correction data holding unit 74 is referred to as "main correction data", and the correction held in the local correction data holding unit 75. The data is called "local correction data". The correction function data holding unit 73 stores a function formula or a table for calculating local correction data representing the correction amount to be applied to the execution recipe data based on the state parameter. If the calculation method of the local correction data is different for each processing recipe (or chemical solution used) applied to the substrate processing, the function formula or table is corrected for each processing recipe (or chemical solution used). Will be held in. It is preferable that the coefficient of the function or the contents of the table held in the correction function data holding unit 73 can be changed by, for example, an instruction from the host controller 55 or an input by the user via the operation unit 58.

The correction data processing unit 72 selects a function expression or table that matches the execution recipe data from the correction function data holding unit 73 by referring to the execution recipe data held in the execution recipe data holding unit 76, and selects the function expression or table. By applying the obtained function expression or table to the state parameter, the local correction data is calculated and stored in the local correction data holding unit 75.

The correction data processing unit 72 further corrects the execution recipe data held in the execution recipe data holding unit 76 based on the local correction data held in the local correction data holding unit 75. The execution recipe data is received in advance from the main controller 51 by the data receiving unit 68, and is held in the execution recipe data holding unit 76. The correction data processing unit 72 further stores the final execution recipe data, which is the corrected recipe data, in the final execution recipe data holding unit 77. In this embodiment, the calculation of the final execution recipe data is performed every time one substrate W is processed.

The board processing control unit 78 operates the rotation drive mechanism 45 that applies a rotational force to the spin chuck 20 and the elevating drive mechanism 46 that raises and lowers the splash guard 30 according to the final execution recipe data held in the final execution recipe data holding unit 77. It controls the opening and closing of the chemical supply valve 37 and the pure water supply valve 40, and further controls the energization of the temperature controller 36 (see FIG. 1).

On the other hand, the correction data processing unit 72 reads the local correction data from the local correction data holding unit 75 and transmits the local correction data to the main controller 51 via the data transmission unit 69. As a result, the correction content of the execution recipe data by the unit controllers 41 to 44 is notified to the main controller 51. Upon receiving this notification, the main controller 51 holds the received local correction data in an internal memory (not shown). This local correction data is acquired by the host controller 55 as needed, and is viewed by the user by operating the operation unit 58.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a correction function (correction curve) held in the correction function data holding unit 73 in the form of a function expression or a table. In FIG. 5, corrections are made for the elapsed time (standby time) from the end of the dry etching process, which is the previous process, and the basic time (basic liquid processing time determined by the basic recipe data) for supplying the polymer removing liquid to the substrate W. The relationship with time (liquid processing correction time) is shown. More specifically, a curve representing the correction function Aa of the chemical solution a used in the processing recipe A and a curve representing the correction function Bb of the chemical solution b used in another processing recipe B are shown.

A small amount of etching gas remains on the surface of the substrate W after the dry etching process is completed. The chemical reaction proceeds due to the influence of the residual etching gas, and the longer the elapsed time, the more the chemical reaction proceeds. Therefore, the longer the elapsed time from the previous process, the longer the liquid treatment correction time. However, the relationship between the liquid treatment correction time and the elapsed time differs depending on the type of chemical solution (chemical solution a and b) supplied to the substrate W for polymer removal. Since different types of chemicals a and b are used in the treatment recipes A and B, the relationship between the elapsed time and the liquid treatment correction time differs depending on the treatment recipe.

The elapsed time data (main correction data) representing the time t1 from the completion of the previous process to the delivery of the board W to the board processing device is given to the main controller 51 as correction data by the host controller 55 or the operation unit 58. .. The main controller 51 passes the elapsed time data to the unit controllers 41 to 44. The elapsed time data may be given in the form of time t1 or in the form of liquid processing correction time T1 corresponding to time t1. When delivered in the form of liquid processing correction time T1, the total elapsed time calculation unit 79 of the unit controllers 41 to 44 refers to the execution recipe data held in the execution recipe data holding unit 76 to type the processing recipe. (That is, the type of the chemical solution used) is specified, and the correction function corresponding to the type of the processing recipe (type of the chemical solution) is referred to from the retained data of the correction function data holding unit 73. Then, the elapsed time t1 is obtained based on this correction function.

Further, the total elapsed time calculation unit 79 obtains the measurement result of the time t2 from the elapsed time measurement unit 71 until immediately before each substrate W is carried into the processing units 11 to 14 and receives the supply of the polymer removing liquid, and the total elapsed time calculation unit 79 is obtained. Find the elapsed time t3 (= t1 + t2). This total elapsed time t3 is handed over to the correction data processing unit 72. The correction data processing unit 72 obtains the liquid processing correction time T3 by applying the total elapsed time t3 to the correction function corresponding to the type of processing recipe (type of chemical used), and the local correction data holding unit 75 as local correction data. Store in.

In this way, the execution recipe data is corrected according to the total elapsed time t3 from the previous process to immediately before the liquid treatment for each individual substrate W. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of substrate processing by the substrate processing apparatus. The substrate W that has completed the previous step (dry etching step) is carried into the substrate processing apparatus while being housed in the carrier C (S1). After that, the host controller 55 or the operation unit 58 inputs the processing conditions (recipe specification, elapsed time data from the previous process, and other correction data) to the main controller 51, and further gives a processing start instruction (). S2).

In the main controller 51, the correction processing unit 63 reads the basic recipe data corresponding to the specified recipe from the recipe database 60, and on the other hand, the correction data other than the elapsed time data (for example, the processing conditions in the previous process). Corrections are made based on the correction data). In this way, the execution recipe data is created and stored in the execution recipe data storage unit 64. After that, the main controller 51 transmits the execution recipe data and the elapsed time data from the data transmission unit 65 to the unit controllers 41 to 44 (S3).

After that, the substrates W are transferred one by one to the processing units 11 to 14 by the action of the indexer robot 3 and the main transfer robot 5 (S4). In the unit controllers 41 to 44, the atmosphere state data is taken in from the sensor data input unit 70. Further, the total elapsed time t3 from the previous process is calculated based on the elapsed time data given from the main controller 51 and the elapsed time t2 measured by the elapsed time measuring unit 71 (S5).

The correction data processing unit 72 obtains the local correction data by comparing the atmosphere state data and the total elapsed time t3 with the correction function held in the correction function data holding unit 73 (S6). The obtained local correction data is notified to the main controller 51 via the data transmission unit 69 (S6). This local correction data is received by the data receiving unit 66 of the main controller 51, stored in a memory (not shown) as described above, and stored as a process history.

The correction data processing unit 72 further corrects the execution recipe data based on the obtained local correction data, and creates the final execution recipe data (S7). This final execution recipe data is held in the final execution recipe data holding unit 77. The board processing control unit 78 executes the board processing according to the final execution recipe data (S8). When the substrate processing is completed (S9), the processed substrate W is carried out by the main transfer robot 5, and the unprocessed substrate W is carried in instead. The above process is repeated for the unprocessed substrate W.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the total elapsed time from the previous process to immediately before the liquid treatment is measured for each substrate W, and the recipe data is corrected in the unit controllers 41 to 44 according to the total elapsed time ( To be tuned). In addition, the unit controllers 41 to 44 also correct the recipe data based on the atmosphere state data in the individual processing units 11 to 14. As a result, it is possible to realize the substrate processing optimized for each substrate W, so that the substrate processing quality can be remarkably improved. Further, since the recipe data is optimized for each board W in the unit controllers 41 to 44, there is no possibility that the processing load of the main controller 51 that controls the entire board processing device becomes excessively large, and the overhead is increased. There is no need to worry about it occurring.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 7, the parts corresponding to the respective parts shown in FIG. 3 are designated by the same reference numerals as in the case of FIG. In addition, in the description of this embodiment, the above-mentioned FIG. 4 is also referred to. This substrate processing apparatus is a so-called coater / developer apparatus that can be connected in-line with an exposure machine, and is an apparatus that forms a photoresist pattern on the substrate surface in cooperation with the exposure machine. More specifically, this substrate processing apparatus includes a coater unit 81 for applying a photoresist on the surface of the substrate, a bake unit 82 for heating the photoresist film on the surface of the substrate, and a photo after being exposed by an exposure machine. A developer unit 83 for developing a resist film, an etching unit 84 for etching a thin film or the like under the photoresist pattern using the developed photoresist pattern as a mask, and an inspection unit 85 for inspecting a processed substrate. And have. In FIG. 7, one coater unit 81, one bake unit 82 as a heat treatment unit, one developer unit 83, and one etching unit 84 are shown, but in an actual coater / developer device, a plurality of these units are provided. The main controller 51 will control a large number of processing units.

The coater unit 81, the bake unit 82, the developer unit 83, and the etching unit 84 are provided with unit controllers 41 to 44, respectively. For example, in the bake unit 82, a bake process (PEB: Post Exposure Bake) after an exposure process by an exposure machine is performed. The basic recipe data that defines the conditions for the post-exposure baking process in the baking unit 82 is stored in advance in the recipe database 60 of the main controller 51.

Prior to the exposure substrate being carried into the bake unit 82, the host controller 55 carries the processing data (for example, the exposure amount) in the exposure machine and the substrate into the substrate processing apparatus from the completion of the exposure process as the previous step. Elapsed time data representing the elapsed time until the process is performed is given to the main controller 51 as correction data. In the main controller 51, the correction control unit 62 corrects the basic recipe data based on the processing data (for example, the exposure amount), and creates the execution recipe data. More specifically, the correction control unit 62 corrects the basic recipe data so as to shorten the bake processing time as the exposure amount increases, and creates the execution recipe data. This execution recipe data is given to the unit controller 42 corresponding to the bake unit 82. The elapsed time data is also given to the unit controller 42.

In the unit controller 42, the execution recipe data from the main controller 51 is stored in the execution recipe data holding unit 76, while the elapsed time measurement unit 71 measures the elapsed time. The measured elapsed time is an elapsed time starting from the time when the substrate returns from the exposure machine to the substrate processing apparatus. More precisely, the elapsed time measuring unit 71 starts measuring the elapsed time in response to the execution recipe data and the elapsed time data being given from the main controller 51. The elapsed time measuring unit 71 measures the elapsed time until immediately before the substrate is carried into the bake unit 82 and undergoes heat treatment.

The total elapsed time calculation unit 79 bake from the previous process (exposure process) by adding the elapsed time data (main correction data) given by the main controller 51 and the elapsed time measured by the elapsed time measuring unit 71. Find the total elapsed time until just before processing. The correction data processing unit 72 compares the obtained total elapsed time with the correction function held in the correction function data holding unit 73, and the correction value (local correction data) of the bake temperature (the substrate temperature at the time of baking processing). Is obtained, and the execution recipe data is corrected based on this correction value. In this case, the correction function data holding unit 73 holds in advance a correction function (function formula or table) that represents the relationship between the bake temperature correction value and the elapsed time from the exposure process.

The correction data processing unit 72 further creates local correction data by comparing the atmosphere state data acquired by the sensor data input unit 70 with the correction function held in the correction function data holding unit 73, if necessary. The execution recipe data is corrected by this local correction data. In this way, the final execution recipe data obtained by correcting the execution recipe data in the unit controller 42 is obtained, and the substrate processing control unit 78 executes the post-exposure baking process according to the final execution recipe data.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the main controller 51 corrects the basic recipe data based on the processing data (exposure amount) in the exposure machine, and the recipe based on the elapsed time (standby time) from the exposure processing to the substrate processing. The data is corrected by the unit controller 42. In the exposed photoresist, a chemical reaction proceeds with the passage of time, and this elapsed time affects the CD (Critical Dimension) value. Therefore, by adopting the configuration of this embodiment in which the elapsed time from the exposure process to the baking process is measured for each substrate and the recipe data is corrected, an appropriate post-exposure baking process can be performed on each substrate. It can be done and a stable CD value can be obtained.

Although the two embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention can also be implemented in other embodiments. For example, in the above-described embodiment, a substrate processing apparatus including a single-wafer processing unit for processing one substrate at a time is taken as an example, but the present invention collectively performs processing on a plurality of substrates. It can also be applied to a substrate processing apparatus equipped with a batch type processing unit. In this case, the elapsed time from the previous process may be obtained for each of a plurality of substrates (batch) that are collectively processed at the same time, and the recipe data may be corrected in the unit controller accordingly.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the elapsed time data from the previous process is once given to the main controller 51 and then given to the unit controllers 41 to 44 has been described, but the elapsed time data is given to the main controller 51. It may be configured to be given to the unit controllers 41 to 44 without going through. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the elapsed time from when the substrate is put into the substrate processing apparatus until the substrate is actually processed by the processing unit is measured, but it is required to process one substrate. If the time can be considered to be substantially constant, the number of processed substrates may be counted and the elapsed time may be estimated based on the counting result.

Further, the transmission of data (recipe data and elapsed time data) from the main controller 51 to the unit controllers 41 to 44 may be performed in a format in which the unit controllers 41 to 44 refer to the data in the main controller 51. In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of the matters described in the claims.

<figref num="1">It is a schematic plan view for demonstrating the structure of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="2">It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the configuration example of a processing unit.</figref><figref num="3">It is a block diagram for demonstrating the electric structure of the substrate processing apparatus.</figref><figref num="4">It is a block diagram for demonstrating the electrical configuration of a unit controller.</figref><figref num="5">It is a figure which shows an example of the correction function (correction curve) which is held in the correction function data holding part in the form of a function expression or a table.</figref><figref num="6">It is a flowchart for demonstrating the flow of substrate processing by the substrate processing apparatus.</figref><figref num="7">It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.</figref>

Code description

1 Indexer 2 Processing unit 3 Indexer robot 5 Main transfer robot 6 Transfer path 11 ~ 14 Processing unit 18 Fan filter unit 19 Processing chamber exhaust duct 20 Spin chuck 21 Processing chamber 22 Chemical solution nozzle 23 Pure water nozzle 24 Processing cup 25 Drainage groove 25A Drainage pipe 26 Recovery pipe 26A Recovery pipe 27 Partition wall 28 Exhaust passage 29 Cup exhaust duct 30 Splash guard 31 Drainage capture part 32 Recovery liquid capture part 33 Partition wall storage groove 35 Chemical solution supply pipe 36 Temperature controller 37 Chemical solution supply Valve 38 Chemical solution circulation piping 39 Pure water supply piping 40 Pure water supply valve 41 to 44 Unit controller 45 Rotation drive mechanism 46 Lifting drive mechanism 48 Atmosphere state sensor 50 Local area network 51 Main controller 52 Indexer controller 53 Main transport controller 55 Host controller 57 Display 58 Operation unit 60 Recipe database 61 Correction data storage unit 62 Correction control unit 63 Correction processing unit 64 Execution recipe data storage unit 65 Data transmission unit 66 Data Receiver 68 Data receiver 69 Data transmitter 70 Sensor data input 71 Elapsed time measurement 72 Correction data processing 73 Correction function data retention 74 Main correction data retention 75 Local correction data retention 76 Execution recipe data retention 77 Final execution recipe data holding unit 78 Board processing control unit 79 Total elapsed time calculation unit 81 Coater unit 82 Bake unit 83 Developer unit 84 Etching unit 85 Inspection unit W substrate