Liquid handling device and liquid handling method

Abstract

The present application provides a liquid processing apparatus and a liquid processing method. A liquid processing apparatus for forming a coating film by supplying a coating liquid to a substrate, achieves high productivity and saves space. The apparatus is configured to include: a first nozzle that sprays a first processing liquid toward the substrate at each first spray position above the substrate, provided in units of each substrate holding section; a second nozzle that sprays a second processing liquid for forming a coating film toward the substrate at each second spray position above each substrate, in a manner later than the spraying of the first processing liquid from the first nozzle, shared by a plurality of substrate holding sections; a third nozzle that sprays a third processing liquid toward the substrate at each third spray position above the substrate held by each substrate holding section, provided in units of each substrate holding section; a rotary mechanism that rotates the first nozzle between a first standby section and the first spray position in plan view; and a linear motion mechanism that linearly moves the third nozzle between a third standby section and the third spray position in plan view.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a coating apparatus and a coating method. BACKGROUND

[0002] In a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a coating film is formed by supplying a processing liquid for forming a coating film such as a resist to a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as a wafer) as a substrate using a coating apparatus. A liquid processing apparatus as a coating apparatus is described in Patent Literature 1. The liquid processing apparatus as a coating apparatus includes two processing units that process wafers, a nozzle group that is composed of a plurality of nozzles, a temperature adjustment unit that stands by the nozzle group, and a nozzle moving mechanism. The nozzle moving mechanism transports one nozzle selected from the nozzle group between the processing units and the temperature adjustment unit. The nozzle moving mechanism, the nozzle group, and the temperature adjustment unit are shared by the two processing units.

[0003] PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

[0004] PATENT LITERATURE

[0005] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-34210 SUMMARY

[0006] PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0007] The present disclosure provides a technique capable of achieving high productivity and saving space for a coating apparatus that forms a coating film by supplying a coating liquid to a substrate.

[0008] SOLUTION TO PROBLEM

[0009] The liquid processing apparatus of the present disclosure includes:

[0010] a plurality of substrate holding portions that respectively hold substrates;

[0011] a first nozzle that is provided in units of the substrate holding portions in order to eject a first processing liquid to a substrate held above a first ejection position of the substrate;

[0012] a second nozzle that is independently moved with respect to the first nozzle, ejects a second processing liquid for forming a coating film to the substrate held above a second ejection position of the substrate in a manner later than the ejection of the first processing liquid, and is shared by the plurality of substrate holding portions;

[0013] a third nozzle which moves independently of the first nozzle and the second nozzle, and which is provided so as to spray a third processing liquid toward a substrate held by each of the substrate holding portions at a third spray position above the substrate when the first processing liquid and the second processing liquid are not supplied to the substrate;

[0014] a first standby portion, a second standby portion, and a third standby portion which allow the first nozzle, the second nozzle, and the third nozzle to stand by outside a holding area in which the substrate is held by each of the substrate holding portions when viewed in plan;

[0015] a rotation mechanism which allows the first nozzle to rotate between the first standby portion and the first spray position when viewed in plan; and

[0016] a linear motion mechanism which allows the third nozzle to move linearly between the third standby portion and the third spray position when viewed in plan.

[0017] In the liquid processing apparatus described above, the first nozzle can supply a diluent as the first processing liquid to the substrate, and the second nozzle can supply a processing liquid which forms a film on the substrate as the second processing liquid.

[0018] In the liquid processing apparatus described above, the third nozzle can supply the third processing liquid to a peripheral portion of the substrate.

[0019] In the liquid processing apparatus described above, the first movement track of the first nozzle when viewed in plan between the first standby portion and the first spray position, the second movement track of the second nozzle when viewed in plan between the second standby portion and the second spray position, and the third movement track of the third nozzle when viewed in plan between the third standby portion and the third spray position can not overlap each other except for a case in which the first spray position and the second spray position are set as a common spray position which overlaps each other when viewed in plan.

[0020] In the liquid processing apparatus described above, the liquid processing apparatus can include an illumination which moves together with the second nozzle and irradiates the second nozzle with light, and a photographing portion which moves together with the second nozzle and photographs the second nozzle which is irradiated with light by the illumination.

[0021] In the liquid processing apparatus described above, the illumination can be provided with a plurality of illuminations which irradiate the second nozzle with light from different directions.

[0022] In the liquid processing apparatus described above, a period during which the first processing liquid is sprayed toward the substrate from the first nozzle can be longer than a period during which the second processing liquid is sprayed toward the substrate from the second nozzle.

[0023] For the liquid processing apparatus described above, the substrate held by one of the substrate holding sections can be a first substrate, the substrate held by the other of the substrate holding sections can be a second substrate, and a period from a time when the first nozzle starts moving from the first standby position to a time when the second nozzle finishes ejecting the second processing liquid can be a continuous process. The liquid processing apparatus can include a control section that outputs a control signal so that a period during which the first substrate is subjected to the continuous process overlaps with a period during which the second substrate is subjected to the continuous process.

[0024] For the liquid processing apparatus described above, the control section can determine a time when the continuous process on the second substrate is started based on a time when the continuous process on the first substrate is finished during execution of the continuous process on the first substrate.

[0025] For the liquid processing apparatus described above, the control section can adjust an interval from a time when the ejection of the first processing liquid is finished to a time when the second processing liquid is ejected on the second substrate to be within a range set in advance.

[0026] For the liquid processing apparatus described above, the second nozzle can be in standby above the substrate during the ejection of the first processing liquid from the first nozzle to the substrate.

[0027] For the liquid processing apparatus described above, the second nozzle can be in standby at a position that is deviated in a horizontal direction with respect to the second ejection position overlapping the first ejection position during the ejection of the first processing liquid from the first nozzle to the substrate.

[0028] For the liquid processing apparatus described above, the imaging section and the plurality of illuminations can be movable in common with a drive section of the second nozzle, and the plurality of illuminations can respectively illuminate the second nozzle from two regions separated by a straight line connecting the second nozzle and the imaging section when viewed from above.

[0029] For the liquid processing apparatus described above, the plurality of illuminations can include an upper irradiation member that illuminates the second nozzle from above the second nozzle.

[0030] For the liquid processing apparatus described above, the liquid processing apparatus can be provided with a decision mechanism that decides, for the second nozzle, whether to move the second nozzle to the second standby position after ejecting the second processing liquid toward the first substrate or to move the second nozzle toward the second ejection position corresponding to the second substrate without moving the second nozzle to the second standby position, based on whether there is a predetermined transport of the second substrate to another substrate holding portion during execution of the continuous processing of the first substrate.

[0031] For the liquid processing apparatus described above, the liquid processing apparatus can be provided with a decision mechanism that decides, for the second nozzle, whether to move the second nozzle to the second standby position after ejecting the second processing liquid toward the first substrate or to move the second nozzle toward the second ejection position corresponding to the second substrate without moving the second nozzle to the second standby position, based on an interval between a time of start of the continuous processing of the first substrate held first in one of the substrate holding portions and a time of start of the continuous processing of the second substrate held later in another of the substrate holding portions.

[0032] The liquid processing method of the present disclosure includes: a process of holding substrates in a plurality of substrate holding portions, respectively; a process of disposing first nozzles provided in units of the substrate holding portions at first ejection positions above the substrates held by the substrate holding portions, respectively, and ejecting first processing liquid toward the substrates; a process of moving second nozzles, which are common to the plurality of substrate holding portions, independently with respect to the first nozzles, and disposing the second nozzles at second ejection positions above the substrates held by the substrate holding portions, respectively; a process of ejecting second processing liquid for forming a coating film from the second nozzles at the second ejection positions toward the substrates later than the first processing liquid is ejected from the first nozzles toward the substrates; and a process of moving the first nozzles in a manner of pivoting between first standby positions and the first ejection positions in a plan view, the first standby positions being for the first nozzles to wait outside of a holding area in which the substrates are held by the substrate holding portions in the plan view.

[0033] For the liquid processing method described above, the substrate held in one of the substrate holding portions can be set as a first substrate, the substrate held in another of the substrate holding portions can be set as a second substrate, and a time from when the first nozzles start moving from the first standby positions to a time when the second nozzles finish ejecting the second processing liquid can be set as a continuous processing. The period during which the first substrate is subjected to the continuous processing and the period during which the second substrate is subjected to the continuous processing can overlap.

[0034] For the above liquid processing method, it can also be that the liquid processing method includes a step of determining a timing at which to start the continuous processing on the second substrate based on a timing at which the continuous processing ends during execution of the continuous processing on the first substrate.

[0035] Effects of Invention

[0036] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to obtain high productivity and save space for a coating device that forms a coating film by supplying a coating liquid to a substrate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0037] Figure 1 is a schematic view of a substrate processing device including a resist coating module as an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] Figure 2 is a plan view of the resist coating module.

[0039] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the resist coating module.

[0040] Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a cup provided in the resist coating module.

[0041] Figure 5A is a perspective view of a general-purpose arm that constitutes the resist coating module.

[0042] Figure 5B is a plan view showing positional relationships of constituent members provided in the general-purpose arm.

[0043] Figure 6 is a side view of a resist nozzle held by the general-purpose arm.

[0044] Figure 7 is an explanatory view showing the operation of a nozzle provided in the resist coating module.

[0045] Figure 8 is an explanatory view showing the operation of a nozzle provided in the resist coating module.

[0046] Figure 9 is an explanatory view showing the operation of a nozzle provided in the resist coating module.

[0047] Figure 10 is a plan view showing the trajectories of each nozzle provided in the resist coating module.

[0048] Figure 11 is a graph showing the operation of the resist coating module.

[0049] Figure 12 is a graph showing the operation of the resist coating module.

[0050] Figure 13 is an action diagram showing the operation of the resist coating module.

[0051] Figure 14 is an action diagram showing the operation of the resist coating module.

[0052] Figure 15 is an action diagram showing the operation of the resist coating module.

[0053] Figure 16 is an action diagram showing the operation of the resist coating module.

[0054] Figure 17 is an action diagram showing the operation of the resist coating module.

[0055] Figure 18 is an action diagram showing the operation of the resist coating module.

[0056] Figure 19 is an action diagram showing the operation of the resist coating module.

[0057] Figure 20 is an action diagram showing the operation of the resist coating module.

[0058] Figure 21 is an action diagram showing the operation of the resist coating module.

[0059] Figure 22 is an action diagram showing the operation of the resist coating module.

[0060] Figure 23 is an explanatory diagram showing another processing example of the resist coating module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] In Figure 1 , a substrate processing apparatus 1 including a resist coating module 2 as an embodiment of the coating apparatus (as a liquid processing apparatus) of the present disclosure is shown. The substrate processing apparatus 1 is supplied with a carrier 11 for housing a plurality of wafers W. In addition, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is provided with a temperature adjustment module 12 and a conveyance mechanism 13 that conveys the wafers W in the order of the carrier 11, the temperature adjustment module 12, the resist coating module 2, and the carrier 11. The temperature adjustment module 12 adjusts the wafers W to a predetermined temperature so that the wafers W are properly processed in the resist coating module 2. Also, if the temperature adjustment of the wafers W is completed and the wafers W can be sent out, a predetermined signal (set as a sending-out signal) is output to a control section 100 to be discussed later.

[0062] Next, referring to the top view of Figure 2 , the temperature adjustment module 12, the resist coating module 2, and the conveyance mechanism 13 will be described. Figure 1The resist coating module 2, which serves as a coating apparatus, will be described below. This resist coating module 2 sprays a first processing solution (diluent) onto the wafer W and then sprays a second processing solution (resist) following the spraying of the diluent, thereby forming a resist film as a coating on the wafer W. The spraying of the diluent is used for cleaning to remove foreign matter from the surface of the wafer W and also serves as pre-wetting to improve the wettability of the wafer W surface relative to the resist. The spraying of the resist is performed by selecting one of multiple nozzles that spray different types of resist, thus forming a resist film corresponding to a batch of wafer W. Furthermore, after forming the resist film, the resist coating module 2 sprays a third processing solution (diluent) onto the periphery of the wafer W to perform EBR (Edge Bead Removal) to remove unwanted areas of the resist film in a ring-shaped manner.

[0063] The resist coating module 2 has a horizontally elongated rectangular housing 21. Within the housing 21, processing units 22A, 22B, and 22C for processing wafer W are arranged sequentially in a horizontal direction. Each processing unit 22 (22A-22C) has components for holding the wafer W and performing the aforementioned cleaning process and EBR. Additionally, a resist supply mechanism 6 shared by the three processing units 22 is provided within the housing 21. If the cleaning of the wafer W, the subsequent formation of a resist film by resist coating, and the EBR after resist film formation are considered as a series of processes, then this series of processes can be performed in each processing unit 22.

[0064] In the figure, reference numeral 23 indicates a delivery port for transferring wafer W to processing units 22A, 22B, and 22C, respectively. These ports are located on the front side wall of the housing 21 at positions corresponding to processing units 22A, 22B, and 22C. Each delivery port 23 opens and closes independently using a gate 24. Hereinafter, the arrangement direction of the processing units 22 will be described as left-right; unless otherwise specified, right and left sides will be referred to as the right and left sides when viewed from the rear towards the front, respectively. Processing unit 22A is located on the left side, and processing unit 22C is located on the right side.

[0065] Also refer to the perspective view inside the casing 21 Figure 3 The following explanation will be provided. Processing units 22A to 22C are identically configured. (The following will also refer to...) Figure 4 The processing unit 22A is described in a longitudinal sectional side view. The processing unit 22A includes a cup 31A with an opening at the top and a holding area therein that houses the wafer W. Figure 4 In the attached diagram, reference numeral 32 indicates the drain outlet located on cup 31A. Figure 4Reference numeral 33 is an exhaust port for exhausting the inside of the cup 31A in the processing of the wafer W. A rotary chuck 34A as a substrate holding portion is provided in the cup 31A to adsorb the central portion of the back surface of the wafer W and horizontally hold the wafer W. The lower side of the rotary chuck 34A is connected to a rotary drive portion 35. With the rotary drive portion 35, the rotary chuck 34A rotates around the vertical axis together with the held wafer W. Three pins (only two are shown) 37 that are raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism 36 are provided in the cup 31A to transfer the wafer W between the wafer conveying mechanism 13 and the rotary chuck 34A. Figure 4

[0066] The processing portion 22A is provided with a peripheral processing mechanism 4A for performing EBR and a processing mechanism 5A for performing cleaning processing. Hereinafter, the peripheral processing mechanism 4A will be described. The peripheral processing mechanism 4A is provided with a linear motion mechanism 41, a lifting mechanism 42, an arm 43, a nozzle (hereinafter, referred to as a peripheral nozzle) 44A, and a cup-shaped standby portion 45A. The linear motion mechanism 41 is provided extending left and right in the right side area of the rear side of the cup 31A. The lifting mechanism 42 is connected to the linear motion mechanism 41 and is configured to be able to move linearly horizontally left and right with the linear motion mechanism 41. The base end portion of the arm 43 is connected to the lifting mechanism 42, and the tip end side of the arm 43 extends toward the front. The arm 43 is vertically raised and lowered by the lifting mechanism 42. Further, the peripheral nozzle 44A as a third nozzle is provided on the lower side of the tip end portion of the arm 43 in such a manner as to spray a diluent toward the rear side in a direction inclined with respect to the horizontal plane and to the rear side in plan view, for example. The spraying of the diluent is performed after cleaning and formation of a resist film, that is, when the processing liquid is not sprayed from a separate nozzle 54 and a resist nozzle 71 to be described later. The peripheral nozzle 44A is connected via a pipe to a not-shown diluent supply mechanism that supplies the diluent to the peripheral nozzle 44A.

[0067] The above-described standby portion 45A as a third standby portion is provided in the right side area with respect to the center in the front-rear direction of the cup 31A. With the cooperation of the linear motion mechanism 41 and the lifting mechanism 42, the peripheral nozzle 44A moves between a standby position in the standby portion 45A and a diluent spraying position (third spraying position) located above the peripheral portion of the wafer W in the cup 31A at a predetermined height from the wafer W. When not in use, the peripheral nozzle 44A stands by in the above-described standby position.

[0068] ​Next, the processing mechanism 5A will be described. The processing mechanism 5A is provided with: a lifting mechanism 51, a rotating mechanism 52, an arm 53, a nozzle (hereinafter, referred to as a separate nozzle) 54A, and a cup-shaped standby section 55A. The lifting mechanism 51 and the rotating mechanism 52 are provided on the left side of the central portion in the front-rear direction of the cup 31A. The rotating mechanism 52 is connected to the lifting mechanism 51 and is vertically lifted by the lifting mechanism 51. The base end portion of the arm 53 is connected to the rotating mechanism 52, and the tip end side of the arm 53 extends in the lateral direction. The arm 53 is rotated by the rotating mechanism 52 about the vertical rotating shaft 50 (refer to Figure 2 ) provided on the base portion side of the arm 53. That is, the tip end side of the arm 53 is revolved about the rotating shaft 50, and the rotating mechanism 52 constitutes a revolving mechanism. The separate nozzle 54A, which is a second nozzle, is provided on the lower side of the tip end portion of the arm 53 so as to spray the diluent downward in the vertical direction. The downstream end of a pipe 56 is connected to the separate nozzle 54A, and the upstream end of the pipe 56 is connected to a diluent supply mechanism 57 that supplies the diluent to the separate nozzle 54A.

[0069] The tank 58 that surrounds the downstream side of the pipe 56 is provided on the tip end portion of the arm 53, and the temperature-adjusted water is supplied to the space inside the tank 58 and outside the pipe 56. One end of the supply pipe 47 and one end of the discharge pipe 48 are connected to the tank 58 (refer to Figure 4 ), respectively, and the other end of the supply pipe 47 and the other end of the discharge pipe 48 are connected to the circulating flow forming mechanism 49. The circulating flow forming mechanism 49 adjusts the temperature of the water supplied from the discharge pipe 48 and supplies it to the space inside the tank 58 via the supply pipe 47. That is, the circulating flow forming mechanism 49 constitutes a chiller, and the temperature of the diluent that passes through the pipe 56 is adjusted by the supply of the temperature-adjusted water described above. That is, the temperature of the diluent sprayed from the separate nozzle 54A is adjusted.

[0070] The standby section 55A, which is a first standby section, is provided on the left side of the cup 31A and in the region that is forward of the central portion in the front-rear direction of the cup 31A. The separate nozzle 54A is moved between the standby position in the standby section 55A and the spray position (second spray position) inside the cup 31A by the cooperation of the lifting mechanism 51 and the rotating mechanism 52, and the spray position (second spray position) is located above the central portion of the wafer W in the cup 31A at a predetermined height from the wafer W. Also, the separate nozzle 54A is standby in the standby position in the standby section 55A when not in use.

[0071] The processing sections 22B and 22C are each configured in the same manner as the processing section 22A as described above. Of the constituent members of these processing sections 22B and 22C, the constituent members that are the same as those of the processing section 22A are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used in the processing section 22A. However, the English words following the numerals are denoted by different English words between the processing sections. The English words of the reference numerals of the processing section 22B are denoted by B, and the English words of the reference numerals of the processing section 22C are denoted by C. Further, in the following description, a rear region located inside the housing 21 and located rearward of the cups 31A to 31C is denoted by the reference numeral 38.

[0072] Next, the resist supply mechanism 6 will be described. The resist supply mechanism 6 is provided with a standby section 61, ten resist nozzles 71, and a nozzle conveying mechanism 63. The standby section 61 as a second standby section is disposed on the rear side of the cup 31B. This standby section 61 extends in the front-rear direction in the rear region 38, and is configured as a stage on which the rear side goes to the right side in plan view. Further, ten recesses are provided in the upper portion of the standby section 61 in the length direction of the stage at intervals from each other (see FIG. 2). Each of the recesses is configured as a standby position 62 for accommodating the resist nozzle 71 so that the resist nozzle 71 stands by. By supplying a diluent to this standby position 62, the resist in the resist nozzle 71 that is standing by is prevented from drying. Figure 4 ) Each of the recesses is configured as a standby position 62 for accommodating the resist nozzle 71 so that the resist nozzle 71 stands by. By supplying a diluent to this standby position 62, the resist in the resist nozzle 71 that is standing by is prevented from drying.

[0073] The reason why the standby section 61 is provided on the rear side of the cup 31B in the central portion of the cups 31A to 31C as described above is that, when the resist nozzles 71 are conveyed from this standby section 61 over the wafer W, the distances from the standby section 61 between the processing sections 22 are prevented from greatly differing. To be more specific, by suppressing the difference in the distances, the tension applied to the pipes 74 connected to the resist nozzles 71 that will be described later is suppressed from differing in the processing in each of the processing sections 22. Thereby, the fluctuation in the state of the liquid stream sprayed between the processing in each of the processing sections 22 is suppressed.

[0074] Each of the resist nozzles 71 as the second nozzles shared by the processing sections 22 sprays the resist downward in the vertical direction. In order to perform the photographing in the nozzle as will be described later, the resist nozzle 71 is configured to have the transparency to visible light. Further, a block-shaped held portion 72 held by the nozzle conveying mechanism 63 that will be described later is provided on the resist nozzle 71. Moreover, a flexible pipe 74 is connected to one end of each of the resist nozzles 71 from the left side. The upstream side of each of the pipes 74 is bent toward the right side after going downward, and the portion thereof that extends to the right side is fixed to the stage. Figure 3Reference numeral 75 is a fixing portion for performing the fixing. An unillustrated resist supply mechanism is connected to the upstream side of each pipe 74. The resist supply mechanisms are provided in units of each pipe 74, and each resist supply mechanism supplies a different kind of resist to the resist nozzle 71 via the pipe 74.

[0075] Next, the nozzle conveying mechanism 63 as the drive portion of the second nozzle will be described. The nozzle conveying mechanism 63 is provided with a direct drive mechanism 64, a lifting mechanism 65, a lifting portion 66, and an arm (hereinafter, referred to as a general arm) 67 extending in the horizontal direction. The direct drive mechanism 64 is provided so as to extend in the left-right direction at the rear side of the standby portion 61. The lifting mechanism 65 is provided in the direct drive mechanism 64 and is configured to be movable in the left-right direction by the direct drive mechanism 64. The base end side of the lifting portion 66 extending in the front-rear direction is connected to the lifting mechanism 65, and the base end portion of the general arm 67 is provided at the tip end side of the lifting portion 66. A vertical rotation shaft 68 (see FIG. 6) is provided at the base end portion of the general arm 67, and the general arm 67 is rotated about the rotation shaft 68 by an unillustrated rotation mechanism. That is, the tip end side of the general arm 67 is revolved about the rotation shaft 68. Figure 2

[0076] A dismounting mechanism 60 for dismounting the held portion 72 of the resist nozzle 71 is provided at the tip end lower portion of the general arm 67, and the dismounting mechanism 60 is capable of freely exchanging the held resist nozzle 71 in the standby portion 61. For example, a recess is formed in the upper portion of the held portion 72, and a protrusion is configured to enter the recess as the above-described dismounting mechanism. Further, for example, a small protrusion is provided at the side surface of the protrusion so as to protrude and enter the side surface freely, and the state of engagement with the side surface of the recess and the state of disengagement are switched by the protrusion entering and dismounting, thereby performing the above-described dismounting.

[0077] ​With cooperation of the direct-acting mechanism 64, the lifting mechanism 65, and the general-purpose arm 67, each of the resist nozzles 71 is movable between a standby position at the standby section 61 described above and a discharge position (2nd discharge position) which is located inside the cup 31 (31A to 31C) and above the center portion of each wafer W at a predetermined height from the surface of the wafer W. At the time of transporting the resist nozzle 71 above the wafer W, with the lifting mechanism 65 stopped at a position corresponding to each of the processing sections 22A to 22C, the general-purpose arm 67 is rotated counterclockwise in plan view from a state in which the tip end extends to the right side with respect to the base end, thereby transporting the resist nozzle 71. In addition, at the time of transporting the resist nozzle 71 between the standby section 61 and the processing sections 22, and between each of the processing sections 22, at the time of moving the lifting mechanism 65 in the left-right direction with the direct-acting mechanism 64, the tip end of the general-purpose arm 67 is directed to the right side, and becomes a direction toward the rear region 38. That is, the general-purpose arm 67 is moved in a manner not to interfere with the processing of each of the processing sections 22.

[0078] The general-purpose arm 67 described above is also described with reference to a perspective view of the tip end side Figure 5A , a schematic plan view Figure 5B In the base section side of the general-purpose arm 67, support sections 81 are provided which extend to the left and right, respectively, as viewed in the extending direction of the general-purpose arm 67. Note that the left and right do not necessarily coincide with the left and right in the lengthwise direction of the housing 21 described above. In the tip end sections of each of the support sections 81, 1st illuminators 82 which are LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) are provided, and each of the 1st illuminators 82 has a flat surface which emits light in a wide range, and is capable of irradiating light toward the resist nozzle 71 held to the general-purpose arm 67 from the flat surface. The 1st illuminators 82 are provided in a manner separated from each other, and thus, light is irradiated toward the resist nozzle 71 from mutually different directions. If described in more detail, light is irradiated toward the resist nozzle 71 from two regions divided by a straight line L0 connecting the camera 84 (described later) and the resist nozzle 71 in plan view, respectively. The 1st illuminators 82 are provided in a manner separated from each other, and thus, light is irradiated toward the resist nozzle 71 from mutually different directions. If described in more detail, light is irradiated toward the resist nozzle 71 from two regions divided by a straight line L0 connecting the camera 84 (described later) and the resist nozzle 71 in plan view, respectively. Figure 5BThe straight line connecting the camera 84 and the resist nozzle 71 indicates, for example, the optical axis of the camera 84, and is a straight line including the extension of the straight line between the camera 84 and the resist nozzle 71. Further, the reason for thus irradiating light from different directions is to equally recognize the inner walls of the left and right resist nozzles 71 in order to determine the range of the liquid present in the resist nozzle 71 in the image taken by the camera 84, which will be discussed later. That is, when the liquid is present in the resist nozzle 71, the inner wall of the resist nozzle 71 in contact with the liquid and the inner wall not in contact with the liquid produce a contrast in brightness, and the two can be distinguished. Thus, even if the upper surface and the lower surface of the liquid cannot be determined clearly in the image, the range of the presence of the liquid can be determined from the range of the inner wall in contact with the liquid using the contrast described above, and by equally recognizing the inner walls of the left and right of the liquid, the determination of the range of the presence of the liquid can be made with higher reliability.

[0079] Further, a support portion 83 is provided at the tip end side of the general-purpose arm 67, and a camera 84 and a second illuminator 85, which is an LED, are provided at the support portion 83. The optical axis of the camera 84 is directed obliquely downward so as to include the resist nozzle 71 and the area below the resist nozzle 71 in the field of view. The second illuminator 85 irradiates light obliquely downward toward the base end side of the general-purpose arm 67. The light forms a relatively small irradiation point at the upper end portion of the resist nozzle 71. Figure 6 The arrow in the figure indicates the optical path of the light supplied from the second illuminator 85 to the resist nozzle 71, and the light goes downward while being reflected between the outer peripheral surface of the flow path 70 of the resist nozzle 71 and the outer peripheral surface of the resist nozzle 71 as shown in the figure. Thus, by passing the light through the inside of the resist nozzle 71, a clear image of the inside of the resist nozzle 71 is obtained. Further, by providing the general-purpose arm 67, which has the illuminator and the camera disposed independently of the mechanisms provided in accordance with each of the processing portions 22A to 22C and is commonly used by the processing portions 22A to 22C, the number of uses of the illuminator, the camera, and the like can be suppressed, and the space required for the disposition thereof can be reduced (space saving).

[0080] For example, from slightly before the ejection of resist from the resist nozzle 71 starts to the end of the ejection of resist, the photographing by the camera 84 as the photographing section is performed. In this photographing, either the image of the resist nozzle 71 can be taken by simultaneously irradiating light with, for example, the first illuminator 82 and the second illuminator 85, or the image at each timing can be taken by making the timing of irradiation of light with the first illuminator 82 and the timing of irradiation of light with the second illuminator 85 different. The image data obtained by the photographing by the camera 84 is sent to the control section 100 to be discussed later. The control section 100 detects from the taken image whether or not there is dirt attached to the resist nozzle 71, dripping of resist from the resist nozzle 71, the position of the liquid surface in the nozzle, whether or not there is interruption of the flow of resist due to bubbling, and the like, and can determine whether or not there is an abnormality based on the detection result. The first illuminator 82 and the second illuminator 85 constitute the illuminating section, and the second illuminator 85 is configured as the upper irradiation member. In addition to the first illuminator 82, there is the second illuminator that irradiates light from above, so that it is possible to suppress the dirt consisting of mist and scattering of the ejected liquid from being seen in the image, and at the same time, it is possible to see the upper surface and the lower surface of the liquid in the resist nozzle 71 in the image. Further, as for the lower surface of the liquid, even if it is a small height that becomes to the extent of remaining in the nozzle, it is possible to recognize it by the irradiation from above as well.

[0081] The ejection position of resist of the above-described resist nozzle 71 and the ejection position of diluent of the above-described individual nozzle 54 (54A to 54C) are located on the central portion of the wafer W, and are set as a common ejection position that overlaps each other. If the operation of these nozzles is described, in order to shorten the processing time for promptly supplying the resist R to the wafer W after the cleaning of the wafer W, during the process in which the individual nozzle 54 ejects the diluent B1 to the wafer W, the resist nozzle 71 stands by at a transition standby position (immediately preceding standby position) that slightly deviates in the horizontal direction from the ejection position of the resist R Figure 7 ). Then, if the individual nozzle 54 ends the ejection of the diluent B1 and retreats from the ejection position of the diluent B1 by moving in the horizontal direction Figure 8 ), in order to reliably avoid the interference of the nozzles with each other, the resist nozzle 71 moves in the horizontal direction slightly later than the movement, and stops at the ejection position of the resist R. That is, without performing the elevation by the elevation mechanism 65, only by the turning operation of the common arm 67, the resist nozzle 71 moves from the transition standby position to the ejection position, and starts the ejection of the resist R Figure 9 ).

[0082] In addition, the moving track of the individual nozzle 54A, the moving track of the resist nozzle 71, and the moving track of the peripheral nozzle 44A at the time of processing the wafer W in the processing section 22A are set as D1, D2, and D3, respectively. In the moving track D1 of the individual nozzle 54A, the moving track D2 of the resist nozzle 71, and the moving track D3 of the peripheral nozzle 44A, the moving track of the resist nozzle 71 is set to be located on the central portion of the wafer W, and the moving track of the individual nozzle 54A and the moving track of the peripheral nozzle 44A are set to be located on the outer periphery of the wafer W. Figure 10In the present embodiment, the moving tracks of the ejection ports of the respective nozzles are expressed by straight lines or curves for the convenience of illustration. Since the ejection position of the resist nozzle 71 overlaps the ejection position of the individual nozzle 54A as described above, the moving track Dl overlaps the moving track D2 over the center portion of the wafer W. However, the moving tracks Dl, D2, D3 do not overlap each other except for the overlapping of the moving tracks over the center portion of the wafer W. Further, the moving tracks Dl, D2 are so set that the transition standby position of the resist nozzle 71 described above is a position that does not overlap the moving track Dl of the individual nozzle 54A.

[0083] For the moving tracks Dl to D3, the more the overlapping, the more the order and timing of the operation of the respective nozzles need to be set in detail in order to prevent the interference of the nozzles with each other. That is, the moving control of the respective nozzles becomes complicated. However, as described above, for the moving tracks Dl to D3, the moving tracks Dl to D3 do not overlap except for the overlapping of Dl, D2 at the center portion of the wafer W. The overlapping of the moving tracks Dl to D3 is thus suppressed, and the situation where the moving control of the respective nozzles described above becomes complicated is suppressed. The moving tracks of the respective nozzles when the processing portion 22A processes the wafer W are typically expressed, but the respective nozzles also describe the same moving tracks when the other processing portions 22 process the wafer W. That is, also for the processing portions 22B, 22C, the moving tracks of the respective nozzles do not overlap at positions other than the center portion of the wafer W in plan view. Further, the ejection position of the diluent of the peripheral nozzle 44 of the respective processing portions 22 can be located over the wafer W. The over the wafer W means above with respect to the wafer W, and is not limited to the case where the wafer W is overlapped in plan view as shown in the respective drawings.

[0084] However, the ejection position of the diluent of the individual nozzle 54 (54A to 54C) is located above the center portion of the wafer W as described above. Thus, the distance between the standby portion 55 (55A to 55C) of the individual nozzle 54 (54A to 54C) provided outside the cup 31 (31A to 31C) and the ejection position is long in plan view. Therefore, if it is assumed that the structure in which the movement between the standby portion 55 and the ejection position of the individual nozzle 54 by the arm 53 is performed by the linear motion mechanism instead of the rotary mechanism 52 is provided, the length of the linear motion mechanism is large. That is, in order to provide the linear motion mechanism on one side of the cup 31, a large space is required in the lateral direction. Further, in the structure in which the individual nozzle 54 is moved by the linear motion mechanism as described above, it is conceivable that the space is not required by arranging the linear motion mechanism above the cup 31. If such a structure is provided, particles generated from the linear motion mechanism can fall down toward the wafer W and adhere to the wafer W, and thus such an arrangement is not desirable. Thus, in order to prevent the large-scale of the resist coating module 2, the movement of the individual nozzle 54 in the lateral direction by the rotary mechanism 52 as described above is effective.

[0085] On the other hand, the ejection position of the peripheral nozzle 44 is located above the peripheral portion of the wafer W. Thus, the distance between the standby portion 45 (45A to 45C) of the peripheral nozzle 44 provided outside the cup 31 and the ejection position is short in plan view, and thus the length of the linear motion mechanism 41 is small even in the structure in which the peripheral nozzle 44 is moved by the linear motion mechanism 41 as described above. Further, in the EBR performed by using the peripheral nozzle 44, the resist film of the wafer W is removed in a ring shape, but the setting of the removal width of the resist film is changed. The peripheral nozzle 44 is provided in the inclined state to the arm 43 as described above, but even if the setting of the removal width is changed in the case where the linear motion is performed horizontally and linearly by the linear motion mechanism 41, the ejection direction of the diluent with respect to the rotation direction of the wafer W is not changed.

[0086] However, if it is assumed that the movement of the peripheral nozzle 44 by the arm 43 is performed by the rotary mechanism instead of the linear motion mechanism 41, the ejection direction of the diluent with respect to the rotation direction of the wafer W is changed due to the change of the setting of the removal width. That is, in addition to the change of the landing position of the diluent in the radial direction of the wafer W, the centrifugal force of the landing position is greatly changed due to the change of the ejection direction, and the splashing of the liquid from the landing position can be large. Thus, it is conceivable that the inclination of the peripheral nozzle 44 needs to be adjusted every time the setting of the removal width described above is changed. Thus, from the viewpoint of suppressing the labor and time of such adjustment, it is preferable that the peripheral nozzle 44 is moved by the linear motion mechanism 41 as described above also for the peripheral nozzle 44.

[0087] However, since the arm 53 supporting the individual nozzle 54 is rotated by the rotation mechanism 52, the area required for the movement of the arm 53 (the rotation area of the arm 53) is large. Also, assume that the standby portion 55 of the individual nozzle 54 and the rotation mechanism 52 are arranged on the right side with respect to the cup 31 as with the standby portion 45 of the peripheral nozzle 44. In this case, the area required for the movement of the arm 53 is large as described above, and therefore, it is necessary to secure a space for avoiding interference between the peripheral nozzle 44 and the arm 43 supporting the same, and the module can be large-sized.

[0088] Also, assume that the standby portion 55 of the individual nozzle 54 is arranged on the rear side with respect to the cup 31 together with the rotation mechanism 52, and it is necessary to secure a space for avoiding interference between the resist nozzle 71 and the general arm 67 supporting the same. Therefore, the module can be large-sized. Also, assume that the standby portion 55 of the individual nozzle 54 is arranged on the front side with respect to the cup 31 together with the rotation mechanism 52. In this case, it is necessary to make the arm 53 stand by at a high position so that the arm 53 does not interfere with the wafer W which is transported with respect to the processing portion 22 via the transport port 23, and therefore, the height of the module is increased, and the module can be large-sized.

[0089] However, with respect to the resist coating module 2, the standby portion 55 of the individual nozzle 54 and the rotation mechanism 52 are arranged on one side in the left-right direction with respect to the cup 31, and the standby portion 45 of the peripheral nozzle 44 is arranged on the other side in the left-right direction. By being arranged in this way, it is possible to prevent interference between the modules of each arm, each nozzle, and the like, and interference between the modules and the wafer W. As a result, it is possible to prevent the module from being large-sized, and therefore, this is preferable.

[0090] Also, with respect to the resist coating module 2, with respect to the rotation mechanism 52 and the standby portion 55 of the individual nozzle 54 which are arranged on one side of the cup 31 as described above, the rotation mechanism 52 is located on the rear side, and the standby portion 55 is located on the front side. By being arranged in this way, as shown in Figures 7-9 the resist nozzle 71 can be moved to the ejection position from the side opposite to the side where the individual nozzle 54A is retracted from the ejection position. Thus, when the individual nozzle 54 and the resist nozzle 71 are moved in this way, interference between the nozzles does not occur, and after the ejection of the diluent by the individual nozzle 54 is completed, the resist nozzle 71 can be quickly arranged at the ejection position to start the ejection of the resist, and therefore, it is possible to improve the productivity.

[0091] Next, the control portion 100 (see FIG. 1) which constitutes the resist coating module 2 will be described. The control portion 100 is connected to the individual nozzle 54 and the resist nozzle 71, and controls the ejection of the diluent and the resist by the individual nozzle 54 and the resist nozzle 71. Figure 2) will be described. The control section 100 is constituted by a computer. The control section 100 has a program storage section, not shown. In the program storage section, a program in which commands (step groups) are incorporated is stored to cause the resist coating module 2 to act as discussed previously and subsequently, while processing is performed in each of the processing sections 22. According to the program, control signals are output from the control section 100 to each section of the resist coating module 2, whereby such actions are performed. The above-mentioned program is stored to the program storage section in a state of being stored to a storage medium such as a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a memory card, or a DVD, and the like.

[0092] With respect to the resist coating module 2, the wafer W is repeatedly fed in, for example, the order of the processing sections 22A, 22B, 22C, by the above-mentioned feeding mechanism 13, and the wafer W is subjected to a series of processes consisting of cleaning, resist film formation, and EBR in each of the processing sections 22. If a feeding signal of the wafer W is output from the temperature adjustment module 12, the above-mentioned program sets a processing schedule (predetermination of actions of each section of the module for processing the wafer W) for the wafer W. Also, the program outputs the above-mentioned control signals to perform a series of processes based on the set processing schedule.

[0093] Figure 11 is a time chart indicating the timing of actions of the individual nozzle 54 and the resist nozzle 71 in the processing schedule set as discussed above. Hereinafter, each action step in the consecutive periods LI to L6 shown in the time chart will be described. Also, in the periods LI to L6, the wafer W is rotated at a predetermined rotation speed. The start time point of the period LI is the start time point of the above-mentioned series of processes. In the period LI, with respect to the individual nozzle 54, movement from the standby section 55 to the ejection position is performed. In the period L2, the individual nozzle 54 moved to the ejection position ejects the diluent Bl to the rotating wafer W.

[0094] In the period L3, the resist nozzle 71 moves from the rear region 38 to the Figure 8 wafer W to the transitional standby position as discussed above. As will be specifically indicated later, the movement of the resist nozzle 71 to the transitional standby position of the wafer W is either movement of the resist nozzle 71 from the standby section 61 or movement of the resist nozzle 71 from outside the standby section 61 after the processing of another wafer W is completed. Ejection of the diluent Bl is continued. At the start time point of the period L4, ejection of the diluent Bl is stopped, and in the period L4, the resist nozzle 71 is moved to the ejection position, and the individual nozzle 54 is moved to the standby section 55. Figure 8 、 Figure 9 is described, the individual nozzle 54 retreats from the ejection position, and the resist nozzle 71 moves to the ejection position. Also, the individual nozzle 54 retreated from the ejection position goes to the standby section 55.

[0095] In the period L5, resist R is ejected from the resist nozzle 71 at the ejection position. Also, at the start time point of the period L6, the ejection of the resist R is stopped, and the resist nozzle 71 retreats to the rear area 38. For the retreat to the rear area 38, there are cases where the standby position of the return standby section 61 is returned to and cases where the standby position is not returned to, depending on the conveyance state of the wafer W in the following as discussed later. The control section 100 constitutes a decision mechanism that decides the conveyance path of the resist nozzle 71. In this example, the ejection time of the diluent for cleaning is longer than the ejection time of the resist, i.e., period L2+L3 > period L5. Also, the same processing is performed for each wafer W, so the lengths of the periods L1 to L6 are respectively the same in the processing of each substrate. Further, there are cases where the period L1 from the start of the movement of the individual nozzle 54 from the standby section 55 to the end of the period L5 of the ejection of the resist from the resist nozzle 71 is described as a continuous process.

[0096] In the case where the conveyance interval of the wafer W to the resist coating module 2 is short, the processing schedule of the other processing section 22 to which the wafer W is conveyed next is set so that the series of processing is performed in the other processing section 22 in parallel with the series of processing in the one processing section 22 to which the wafer W is conveyed first. More specifically, the processing schedule is set in such a manner that the period during which the continuous processing described above is performed between the processing sections 22 overlaps.

[0097] As described above for the resist coating module 2, the resist nozzle 71 and the general-purpose arm 67 are configured to be shared between the processing sections 22. Therefore, the processing schedule of the other processing section 22 is set so that the processing is performed in the other processing section 22 without using the resist nozzle 71 and the general-purpose arm 67 during the use of the resist nozzle 71 and the general-purpose arm 67 in the one processing section 22. That is, the processing schedule of the other processing section 22 is set based on the processing schedule of the one processing section 22 set first.

[0098] The setting of the processing schedule of the other processing section 22 is also described more specifically with reference to Figure 12 The end time point of the period L6 at which the operation of the resist nozzle 71 and the general-purpose arm 67 in the one processing section 22 ends is set as tl, and the start time point of the period L3 at which the operation of the resist nozzle 71 and the general-purpose arm 67 in the other processing section 22 starts is set as t2. The processing schedule of the other processing section 22 is set so that the time point t2 is reached after the time point tl, and the interval Al between the time point tl and the time point t2 becomes the shortest length within a set time or more. The set time is, for example, a time longer than 0 seconds.

[0099] That is, the shorter the transport interval of the wafer W from the transport of the wafer W (the first substrate) to one of the processing sections 22 to the transport of the wafer W (the second substrate) to the other processing section 22, the shorter the interval Al, and the longer the time for which the wafer W is processed in parallel in one of the processing sections 22 and the other processing section 22. However, the interval Al is not set to be shorter than the set time. Also, the longer the transport interval, the longer the interval Al, and according to the transport interval, the processing in parallel between the processing sections 22 is not performed, and after the series of processing is completed in one of the processing sections 22, the series of processing is started in the other processing section 22.

[0100] The wafer W is processed identically in each of the processing sections 22, and therefore, the interval Al is also set as the interval for setting the start of the processing of the wafer W between the processing sections 22. Also, if the ejection signal of the wafer W is output from the temperature adjustment module 12 as described above, the processing schedule is set, but the next ejection signal is output at a shorter interval from the start of the processing in one of the processing sections 22. In this case, the interval Al is set as described above, and therefore, the start time of the period LI of the other processing section 22 is set in such a manner as to go back by the predetermined time A2 from the time at which the period L5 of one of the processing sections 22 ends. That is, in the processing of the wafer W in one of the processing sections 22, the start time of the series of processing of the wafer W in the other processing section 22 is determined according to the predetermined time at which the ejection processing of the resist to the wafer W ends (the predetermined time at which the series of processing ends).

[0101] For the above-described Figure 12 , a time chart is shown in which one of the processing sections 22 is 22A, the other processing section 22 is 22B, and the periods LI to L6 in the case where the processing schedule of the processing section 22B is set as described above is shown. In this example, the interval Al is set to be the set time, that is, the minimum time, as described above. The reason why the set time of the interval Al is set to be a time longer than 0 seconds is that even in the case where the actual processing in one of the processing sections 22 is delayed with respect to the processing schedule, the processing in the other processing section 22 can be performed without a problem. Also, for the wafer W for which the processing schedule of the processing section 22 is set as described above, the transport mechanism 13 is operated according to the start time of the processing schedule so as to transport the wafer W from the temperature adjustment module 12. Also, after the wafer W is transported to the processing section 22, the processing is started based on the processing schedule promptly.

[0102] Furthermore, by setting the processing arrangement as described above, the period between the end of diluent ejection and the start of resist ejection in each processing unit 22 becomes a predetermined length. If this period is too long, the diluent will evaporate from the wafer W; if it is too short, the movement of the resist nozzle 71 towards the ejection position may not be timely. In other words, the processing arrangement of each processing unit 22 is set to prevent such adverse situations from occurring. That is, the start time of a series of processes in other processing units 22 is determined so that the time from the end of diluent ejection in one processing unit 22 to the start of resist ejection is not delayed.

[0103] Additional explanation Figure 11 , Figure 12 The operation during period L6 of the time diagram. Let's assume that at a predetermined time when wafer W is processed according to the processing schedule, for example, at the beginning of period L6, no processing schedule for the next wafer W is set, meaning there is no predetermined delivery of the next wafer W to the resist coating module 2. In this case, the resist nozzle 71, held by the universal arm 67 and spraying resist onto the wafer W, is delivered to the standby position 62 of the standby unit 61. This prevents the resist within the resist nozzle 71 from drying out. On the other hand, if a processing schedule for the next wafer W is set at the beginning of period L6, the resist nozzle 71 held by the universal arm 67 is not delivered to the standby position 62, but is positioned, for example, above the standby position 62. In cases where the wafer W delivery interval to the processing unit 22 is short, and the resist spraying interval is short, making it difficult for the resist nozzle 71 to dry out, the lifting and lowering actions required for the movement of the resist nozzle 71 to and from the standby position 62 are omitted. This allows for increased productivity. Furthermore, as such, the moving targets of the resist nozzle 71 differ within period L6, and consequently, the moving starting points of the resist nozzle 71 differ within period L3, as already described.

[0104] The following describes an example of the operation of the resist coating module 2, which sequentially feeds wafers W to processing units 22A-22C, starting from the state where wafer W is not being fed to processing units 22A-22C. As described above, wafers W are actually repeatedly fed to processing units 22A-22C, but to avoid complicating the explanation, it is assumed that only three identical batches of wafers W are continuously fed to the resist coating module 2. These wafers W are designated W1, W2, and W3 according to their feeding order to the resist coating module 2. Furthermore, in this description, it is assumed that wafers W1-W3 can be fed out from the temperature adjustment module 12 at relatively short intervals. Figure 12 The interval A1, which has been explained, is set to the minimum.

[0105] With the peripheral nozzle 44, individual nozzle 54, and resist nozzle 71 in their respective standby states (Figure 13 The temperature adjustment module 12 outputs a delivery signal for wafer W1, setting the processing schedule for the processing unit 22A. Then, wafer W1 is transported to the processing unit 22A and held and rotated by the rotary chuck 34A, and processing begins according to the schedule. That is, in... Figure 11 , Figure 12 The diagram illustrates, in sequence, the actions of L1 and L2 during the process, the movement of the individual nozzle 54A from the standby section 55 to the ejection position, and the ejection of diluent B1 from the individual nozzle 54A towards the center of wafer W1. Due to centrifugal force, diluent B1 spreads across the entire surface of wafer W1, thus cleaning the surface of wafer W1.

[0106] During the processing in processing unit 22A, a delivery signal for wafer W2 is output from temperature adjustment module 12, setting the processing schedule of processing unit 22B. Meanwhile, during processing in processing unit 22A, operation L3 is performed. That is, universal arm 67 holds a resist nozzle 71 and transports it to the transition standby position of wafer W1. On the other hand, wafer W2 is transported to processing unit 22B and held and rotated by rotary chuck 34B. Figure 14 Then, in processing unit 22A, as an operation of period L4, the individual nozzle 54 moves from the ejection position toward the standby unit 55, and the resist nozzle 71 moves toward the ejection position in sequence. On the other hand, in processing unit 22B, processing begins according to the processing arrangement, and the individual nozzle 54B moves from the standby unit 55B toward the ejection position as an operation of period L1.

[0107] Next, in the processing unit 22A, the resist R, which is part of the operation L5, is ejected and spreads across the entire surface of the wafer W1 due to centrifugal force. Figure 15 Then, the ejection of the resist R is stopped, and as part of operation L6, the resist nozzle 71 is retracted to the rear region 38. During this period, the resist R on the surface of the wafer W1 dries to form a resist film R1. Additionally, in the processing unit 22B, as part of operation L2, diluent B1 is ejected from a separate nozzle 54B at the ejection position onto the wafer W2. Figure 16 During the period when the processing units 22A and 22B are performing processing, the output signal of wafer W3 is output from the temperature adjustment module 12 to set the processing schedule of the processing unit 22C.

[0108] Subsequently, in processing unit 22A, the peripheral nozzle 44A is moved to the processing position, spraying diluent B2 onto the periphery of wafer W1, thus removing the resist film R1 at the periphery of wafer W1. During this period, in processing unit 22B, as part of period L3, the resist nozzle 71 is moved to the transition standby position. Furthermore, since the processing arrangement of processing unit 22B is set at the beginning of period L6 in processing unit 22A, as described above, the resist nozzle 71 is not conveyed to standby unit 61, but is directly conveyed to the aforementioned transition standby position. On the other hand, wafer W3 is conveyed to processing unit 22C and held and rotated by rotary chuck 34C. Figure 17 ).

[0109] Then, in processing unit 22A, the ejection of diluent B2 from peripheral nozzle 44A is stopped, peripheral nozzle 44A is retracted to standby unit 45A, and the processed wafer W1 is sent out from processing unit 22A. During this period, in processing unit 22B, as operation L4, the retraction of individual nozzle 54B from the ejection position and the movement of resist nozzle 71 to the ejection position are performed sequentially. On the other hand, in processing unit 22C, processing begins according to the processing schedule, and the movement of individual nozzle 54C from standby unit 55C to the ejection position as operation L1 is performed.

[0110] Next, in the processing unit 22B, as part of the operation of period L5, the resist R is sprayed out. Figure 18 Then, the ejection of the resist R is stopped, and as part of operation L6, the resist nozzle 71 is retracted to the rear region 38. During this period, the resist R on the surface of wafer W2 dries to form a resist film R1. Meanwhile, in processing unit 22C, as part of operation L2, diluent B1 is ejected from a separate nozzle 54C at the ejection position onto wafer W3. Figure 19 ).

[0111] Subsequently, in processing unit 22B, peripheral nozzle 44B moves to the processing position and sprays diluent B2 onto the periphery of wafer W2, removing the resist film R1 at the periphery of wafer W2. During this period, in processing unit 22C, as part of operation L3 (… Figure 20 The resist nozzle 71 is moved directly to the transition standby position.

[0112] Then, in processing unit 22B, the ejection of diluent B2 from peripheral nozzle 44B stops, peripheral nozzle 44B retracts to standby unit 45, and the processed wafer W2 is sent out. During this period, in processing unit 22C, as operation L4, individual nozzle 54C retracts from the ejection position, resist nozzle 71 moves to the ejection position, and as operation L5, resist R is ejected.Figure 21 ) After the end of the ejection of the resist R, as the operation of the period L6, the resist nozzle 71 is retracted to the rear region 38. Since the processing schedule of the next wafer W is not set, the resist nozzle 71 is transported to the standby section 61 and stands by in the standby position 62. On the other hand, in the processing section 22C, the peripheral nozzle 44C is moved to the processing position, the diluent B2 is ejected to the peripheral portion of the wafer W3, and the resist film Rl at the peripheral portion of the wafer W3 is removed Figure 22 ) After that, the wafer W3 is delivered from the processing section 22C.

[0113] As described above, for the resist coating module 2, the individual nozzles 54 for the cleaning processing and the peripheral nozzles 44 for the EBR are provided in units of the processing sections 22. Also, the resist nozzles 71 for performing the resist coating, which are used later than the cleaning processing, are shared among the processing sections 22, and the individual nozzles 54, the resist nozzles 71, and the peripheral nozzles 44 can be independently moved between the standby section outside the cup 31 and above the wafer W. Thus, after the wafer W is delivered to the other processing section 22, the resist coating of the wafer W delivered first to one processing section 22 and / or the movement of the resist nozzles 71 from one processing section 22 to the other processing section 22 can be performed during the cleaning processing and / or the movement of the individual nozzles 54 for the cleaning processing. Also, the EBR processing can be performed in one processing section 22 regardless of the processing of the wafer W in the other processing section 22. For this reason, for the resist coating module 2, a higher productivity can be obtained.

[0114] Especially, in the case where the ejection time of the diluent by the individual nozzles 54 is longer than the ejection time of the resist by the resist nozzles 71 as described above, the ejection of the resist and the movement of the resist nozzles 71 in one processing section 22 can be performed as described above in the ejection time, so that the decrease in the productivity can be prevented, and thus, it is advantageous. Also, as described above, in the resist coating module 2, the individual nozzles 54 are moved by the rotary mechanism 52, and for the peripheral nozzles 44, the linear motion mechanism 41 is used, so that the module can be downsized.

[0115] For the coating apparatus of Patent Document 1 described above, a plurality of nozzles are provided as described above, and these nozzles are all commonized in the processing units (processing sections). Thus, since processing of other processing units is performed after processing of one processing unit is completed, it is difficult to seek improvement of productivity. Further, in Patent Document 1, each nozzle is similarly transported from the rear of the processing unit to the processing unit by a common nozzle transport mechanism. That is, in Patent Document 1, there is no idea of flexibly using movement by a direct drive mechanism and movement by a rotary mechanism according to the nozzles to prevent enlargement of the apparatus when nozzles having different functions are provided as in the present disclosure.

[0116] Further, as described above, during the diluent ejection process by the separate nozzle 54, the resist nozzle 71 stands by at the transition standby position above the wafer W, and thus, it is possible to rapidly switch from the cleaning process to the resist ejection process, and thus, it is possible to more reliably improve productivity. In addition, the ejection time of the diluent is longer than the ejection time of the resist, and the greater the difference between the ejection times thereof, the easier it is to make the resist nozzle 71 stand by at the transition standby position described above during the diluent ejection process. That is, it is easy to arrange the processes so that, after the processing by the resist nozzle 71 at one processing section 22, the resist nozzle 71 is disposed to the transition standby position before the ejection of the diluent is completed at the other processing section 22. That is, even if the resist nozzle 71 is commonized in the processing sections 22, the operation thereof does not restrict the processing of the wafer W, and the waiting time until the resist is applied to the wafer W is suppressed, and thus, it is possible to more reliably obtain high productivity.

[0117] Further, as described above, the processing arrangement of the wafer W at one processing section 22 determines the processing arrangement of the wafer W at the other processing section 22. As described above, the determination of the processing arrangement is performed in such a manner that the period during which the processing arrangements of the processing sections 22 overlap each other is long. Thus, when a plurality of wafers W are continuously processed, it is possible to more reliably improve productivity. Figure 12

[0118] Next, a process different from the processes of the diluent and the resist described above will be described. The resist nozzle 71 is disposed so as to eject the resist to a first position deviated from the center portion of the rotating wafer W, and the separate nozzle 54 is disposed so as to eject the diluent Bl to a second position closer to the periphery of the wafer W than the first position. Further, the resist R and the diluent Bl are respectively ejected. As described above, the resist nozzle 71 is commonized in the processing sections 22, and thus, the operation thereof does not restrict the processing of the wafer W. Thus, the waiting time until the resist is applied to the wafer W is suppressed, and thus, it is possible to more reliably obtain high productivity. Figure 23 ​As shown, for the resist nozzle 71, the position at which the resist R is sprayed is moved to above the center portion of the wafer W in a manner such that the resist nozzle 71 is moved in the lateral direction, and the impact of the wafer W at the time of landing is mitigated to suppress scattering from the landing position. By thus supplying the resist R and the thinner B1, the state is achieved in which, on the wafer W, a puddle layer of the resist R is located in the central portion, and the thinner B1 is supplied to the wafer W in a manner such that it surrounds the puddle layer. Thereafter, the rotation speed of the wafer W is increased. As a result, at the peripheral portion of the wafer W at which the supply of the thinner B1 is completed, the resist R expands in a manner such that it has a higher covering property with respect to the peripheral portion, and the entire surface of the wafer W is more reliably covered with the resist R.

[0119] In the processing of this Figure 23 , for the period of time during which the thinner B1 is sprayed and the period of time during which the resist R is sprayed, explicit distinction can also not be made. That is, it is not limited to a case in which, after spraying from one nozzle is ended, spraying from the other nozzle is started, and for the period of time during which the resist R is sprayed and the period of time during which the thinner B1 is sprayed, processing can be performed in an overlapping manner. In Figure 23 , the period of time during which the resist R and the thinner B1 are sprayed is indicated in a manner such that the respective periods of time during which they are sprayed overlap. It can also be the case that, in a case in which the processing procedure is set in a manner such that the period of time during which the thinner B1 is sprayed and the period of time during which the resist R is sprayed overlap in this way, the general arm 67 that holds the resist nozzle 71 is caused to act at a time corresponding to the processing procedure. Further, in a case in which the processing procedure that has been described is performed, the movement trajectories D1 to D3 of the respective nozzles described above also do not overlap above the center portion of the wafer W, and thus are preferable. Figure 23

[0120] In addition, as the processing liquid that is supplied from the peripheral nozzle 44, it is not limited to the thinner. For example, a processing liquid for forming a protective film can also be sprayed instead of the thinner, and the peripheral portion of the wafer W after the resist film is formed can be covered with the protective film. The protective film is a protective film for preventing film peeling at the peripheral portion of the wafer W. Further, for the case of forming such a protective film, there is a case in which it is required to make the uniformity of the film thickness of the wafer W in the circumferential direction higher. If the peripheral nozzle 44 is moved by the rotary mechanism as described above, in a case in which the landing position is shifted in the radial direction in order to change the width of the region in which the protective film is formed, the landing position also deviates in the circumferential direction of the wafer W. As a result, the uniformity of the film thickness of the wafer W in the circumferential direction can decrease. From the viewpoint of preventing the above, it is also preferable to move the peripheral nozzle 44 by the direct drive mechanism 41 as described above.

[0121] ​Alternatively, if the spraying time of the resist is longer than the spraying time of the diluent from the nozzle used for cleaning (pre-wetting), it is possible to share the nozzle for spraying the diluent in each processing unit 22, while the nozzle for spraying the resist is set up on a unit basis for each processing unit 22. In other words, the nozzle with the longer spraying time is set up on a unit basis for each processing unit 22, while the nozzle with the shorter spraying time is shared across all processing units 22. With this structure, it is possible to spray the treatment liquid from the nozzle with the longer spraying time and / or to move the nozzle with the shorter spraying time between processing units 22 during the spraying process from the nozzle with the longer spraying time. Therefore, productivity can be improved.

[0122] Alternatively, the camera used to capture images of the resist nozzle 71 held on the universal arm 67 from a different direction than the camera 84 located on the universal arm 67 described above can be fixed relative to the cup 31. Alternatively, instead of a camera 84, multiple cameras that capture images of the resist nozzle 71 held on the resist nozzle 71 from different directions can be fixed to the cup 31. Images obtained from cameras fixed relative to the cup 31 are used, in the same way as images obtained from camera 84, for detecting various anomalies.

[0123] Alternatively, it could be based on Figure 12 The time difference between the start time of a series of processes in one processing unit 22 and the start time of a series of processes in another processing unit 22 determines whether to put the resist nozzle 71, which has finished its use in one processing unit 22, into standby position 62 in standby unit 61. That is, if the time difference is shorter than a predetermined set time, the resist nozzle 71 is not delivered to standby position 62, but is instead placed above, for example, standby position 62. On the other hand, if the time difference is longer than or equal to the predetermined set time, the resist nozzle 71 is delivered to standby position 62 and is put into standby position.

[0124] Also, the arm 53 can be provided with a plurality of individual nozzles 54 that eject different kinds of diluents, and the diluent can be ejected from any one of the selected individual nozzles 54. Also, the number of processing sections 22 is not limited to three, and can be four or more. Also, the number of processing sections 22 can be two. However, by sharing the resist supply mechanism 6 for a larger number of processing sections 22, when a plurality of resist coating modules 2 are provided to the apparatus, the number of modules, the supply lines of the processing liquid can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the apparatus can be reduced. Also, the man-hours of manufacturing and maintenance can be reduced. As described above, by employing the resist coating module 2, even if the number of processing sections 22 is made larger, the reduction in productivity can be suppressed, and thus is advantageous. Also, as the coating apparatus of the present disclosure, it is not limited to a structure that coats a resist to form a resist film. The technology of the present disclosure can also be applied to, for example, an apparatus that coats a processing liquid for forming an antireflection film to form an antireflection film, an apparatus that coats a processing liquid for forming an insulating film to form an insulating film. That is, it can also be a structure that supplies a processing liquid for forming these films to the processing section 22 from a shared nozzle.

[0125] Furthermore, it should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all points and are not restrictive. The above-described embodiments can be omitted, replaced, changed in various forms without departing from the attached claims and the gist thereof.

Claims

1. A liquid processing apparatus characterized by comprising: a plurality of substrate holding sections each holding a substrate; a first nozzle provided for each of the substrate holding sections to spray a first processing liquid onto a substrate held by the substrate holding section at a first spray position above the substrate; a second nozzle independently movable with respect to the first nozzle to spray a second processing liquid for forming a coating film onto a substrate held by each of the substrate holding sections at a second spray position above the substrate later than the first processing liquid, the second nozzle being shared by the plurality of substrate holding sections; a third nozzle independently movable with respect to the first and second nozzles to spray a third processing liquid onto a substrate held by each of the substrate holding sections at a third spray position above the substrate without supplying the first and second processing liquids to the substrate; a first standby section, a second standby section, and a third standby section in which the first, second, and third nozzles are respectively positioned outside a holding area in which a substrate is held by each of the substrate holding sections when viewed from above; a rotation mechanism that rotates the first nozzle between the first standby section and the first spray position when viewed from above; and a linear motion mechanism that linearly moves the third nozzle between the third standby section and the third spray position when viewed from above, a first substrate held by one of the substrate holding sections and a second substrate held by another of the substrate holding sections, a continuous process from a time when the first nozzle starts moving from the first standby section to a time when the second nozzle stops spraying the second processing liquid, the liquid processing apparatus being provided with a control section that outputs a control signal to overlap a period during which the first substrate is subjected to the continuous process with a period during which the second substrate is subjected to the continuous process and to cause the first nozzle to start moving toward the first spray position for the second substrate before a process of spraying the second processing liquid from the second nozzle for the first substrate is started.

2. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: the first nozzle supplies a diluent as the first processing liquid to the substrate and the second nozzle supplies a processing liquid for forming a film on the substrate as the second processing liquid to the substrate.

3. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: the third nozzle supplies the third processing liquid to a peripheral portion of the substrate.

4. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: ​ The first movement track of the first nozzle between the first standby section and the first discharge position, the second movement track of the second nozzle between the second standby section and the second discharge position, and the third movement track of the third nozzle between the third standby section and the third discharge position do not overlap each other in plan view.

5. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid processing apparatus comprises: an illuminator which moves together with the second nozzle and irradiates the second nozzle with light; and a camera which moves together with the second nozzle and photographs the second nozzle which is irradiated with light by the illuminator.

6. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the illuminator is provided with a plurality of illuminating members which irradiate the second nozzle with light from different directions.

7. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the period during which the first processing liquid is discharged from the first nozzle toward the substrate is longer than the period during which the second processing liquid is discharged from the second nozzle toward the substrate.

8. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control section determines the timing at which the continuous processing is started on the second substrate based on the timing at which the continuous processing on the first substrate is ended.

9. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control section adjusts the interval from the end of the discharge of the first processing liquid to the start of the discharge of the second processing liquid on the second substrate to be within a range set in advance.

10. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second nozzle stands by above the substrate during the discharge of the first processing liquid from the first nozzle toward the substrate.

11. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the second nozzle stands by at a position which deviates in the horizontal direction with respect to the second discharge position which overlaps the first discharge position during the discharge of the first processing liquid from the first nozzle toward the substrate.

12. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the camera and the illuminator which are provided with a plurality of illuminating members are configured to be movable by sharing a drive section of the second nozzle, the illuminator which is provided with a plurality of illuminating members irradiates the second nozzle from two regions which are separated by a straight line connecting the second nozzle and the camera in plan view.

13. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the illuminator which is provided with a plurality of illuminating members has an upper irradiating member which irradiates the second nozzle from above the second nozzle.

14. The liquid processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 8, and 9, wherein The liquid processing apparatus is provided with a decision mechanism that decides, for the second nozzle, whether to move the second nozzle to the second standby position after the second processing liquid is ejected toward the first substrate or to move the second nozzle toward the second ejection position corresponding to the second substrate without moving the second nozzle to the second standby position, based on a predetermined whether or not the second substrate is transported to another substrate holding section during execution of the continuous processing of the first substrate.

15. The liquid processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 8, and 9, wherein The liquid processing apparatus is provided with a decision mechanism that decides, for the second nozzle, whether to move the second nozzle to the second standby position after the second processing liquid is ejected toward the first substrate or to move the second nozzle toward the second ejection position corresponding to the second substrate without moving the second nozzle to the second standby position, based on an interval between a time of start of the continuous processing of the first substrate held first in one of the substrate holding sections and a time of start of the continuous processing of the second substrate held later in another substrate holding section.

16. A liquid processing method, comprising: The liquid processing method includes: a process of holding substrates in a plurality of substrate holding sections, respectively; a process of disposing first nozzles provided in units of the substrate holding sections above the substrates held by the substrate holding sections to eject first processing liquid toward the substrates, respectively; a process of moving second nozzles common to the plurality of substrate holding sections independently with respect to the first nozzles and disposing the second nozzles above the substrates held by the substrate holding sections at second ejection positions; a process of ejecting second processing liquid for forming a coating film from the second nozzles at the second ejection positions toward the substrates later than the ejection of the first processing liquid from the first nozzles toward the substrates; and a process of moving the first nozzles to rotate between first standby positions and the first ejection positions in a plan view, the substrate held in one of the substrate holding sections is set as a first substrate, and the substrate held in another of the substrate holding sections is set as a second substrate, a time from a start of movement of the first nozzles from the first standby positions to a time of end of ejection of the second processing liquid from the second nozzles is set as a continuous processing, a period during which the first substrate is subjected to the continuous processing overlaps with a period during which the second substrate is subjected to the continuous processing, and the first nozzles start to move toward the first ejection positions for the second substrate before a process of ejecting the second processing liquid from the second nozzles for the first substrate is started.

17. The liquid processing method according to claim 16, comprising: the liquid processing method includes ​ The timing at which the continuous processing on the second substrate is started is determined based on the timing at which the continuous processing on the first substrate is ended. The timing at which the continuous processing on the second substrate is started is determined based on the timing at which the continuous processing on the first substrate is ended.

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