Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus is configured to include: a processing liquid supply nozzle that supplies a processing liquid to at least a peripheral portion of a surface of a substrate to perform processing; a stage that places the substrate to which the processing liquid is supplied; a moving body that includes a first distance sensor for detecting a distance between the substrate placed on the stage; a moving mechanism that moves the moving body laterally on the peripheral portion of the substrate to acquire a height distribution between a first position at the peripheral portion of the substrate that is close to a center of the substrate and a second position at the peripheral portion of the substrate that is closer to a peripheral end side of the substrate than the first position; and a rotating mechanism that rotates the stage relative to the moving body to acquire the height distribution at a plurality of positions that are separated from each other in a circumferential direction of the substrate, respectively.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method. Background Technology

[0002] In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, various liquid treatments are performed on the semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as wafer), which serves as a substrate. Examples of such liquid treatments include supplying a coating liquid such as a photoresist to the surface of the wafer to form a coating film, and supplying a removal liquid for the coating film to the periphery of the wafer.

[0003] Sometimes, a raised portion called a hump, caused by the coating film, forms at the periphery of the wafer after liquid treatment. Patent Document 1 describes the following: a resist film is formed on the entire surface of the wafer by spin coating; the resist film is removed by supplying a diluent to the periphery of the rotating wafer; and the formation of the hump is suppressed by setting the wafer rotation speed when supplying the diluent to an appropriate value.

[0004] Existing technical documents

[0005] Patent documents

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-121045 Summary of the Invention

[0007] The problem the invention aims to solve

[0008] This disclosure reduces the time required to detect bulges formed due to the supply of processing liquid to the periphery of the substrate surface.

[0009] Solution for solving the problem

[0010] The substrate processing apparatus disclosed herein includes: a processing liquid supply nozzle that supplies processing liquid to at least a peripheral portion of the surface of a substrate for processing; a mounting stage that holds the substrate to which the processing liquid has been supplied; a moving body that includes a first distance sensor for detecting the distance between itself and the substrate placed on the mounting stage; a moving mechanism that moves the moving body laterally on the peripheral portion of the substrate to obtain a height distribution between a first position (i.e., a position near the center of the substrate) and a second position (i.e., a position closer to the peripheral edge of the substrate than the first position); and a rotating mechanism that rotates the mounting stage relative to the moving body to obtain the height distribution at a plurality of positions circumferentially separated from each other on the substrate.

[0011] The effects of the invention

[0012] According to this disclosure, it is possible to reduce the time required to inspect bulges formed by supplying processing liquid to the periphery of the substrate surface. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a side view of the resist film forming module of a coating and developing apparatus as one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a top view of the resist film forming module.

[0015] Figure 3 This is an explanatory diagram showing the parameter setting process in the resist film formation module.

[0016] Figure 4 This is an explanatory diagram showing the process of setting the parameters.

[0017] Figure 5 This is an explanatory diagram showing the process of setting the parameters.

[0018] Figure 6 This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the formation process of the resist film in the resist film formation module.

[0019] Figure 7 This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the formation process of the resist film.

[0020] Figure 8 This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the formation process of the resist film.

[0021] Figure 9 This is an explanatory diagram showing the process of measuring the height distribution of the resist film.

[0022] Figure 10 This is an explanatory diagram showing the process of measuring the height distribution of the resist film.

[0023] Figure 11 This is a top view showing the process of measuring the height distribution of the resist film.

[0024] Figure 12 This is a top view showing the process of measuring the height distribution of the resist film.

[0025] Figure 13 This is a top view showing the process of measuring the height distribution of the resist film.

[0026] Figure 14 This is a graph showing an example of the height distribution of the radius of the resist film.

[0027] Figure 15 This is a graph showing an example of the height distribution at the periphery of the resist film.

[0028] Figure 16 This is a top view showing the relationship between the wafer and the area where the height distribution was measured.

[0029] Figure 17 This is a top view of the coating and developing apparatus.

[0030] Figure 18 This is a side view of the coating and developing apparatus.

[0031] Figure 19 This is a graph showing a corrected example of the height distribution of the resist film.

[0032] Figure 20 This is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of an exposure machine on a normal wafer.

[0033] Figure 21 This is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of an exposure machine on an abnormal wafer.

[0034] Figure 22 This is a side view showing other resist film forming modules.

[0035] Figure 23 This is a top view showing other resist film formation modules.

[0036] Figure 24 It is a graph showing the results of a reference experiment. Detailed Implementation

[0037] Reference Figure 1 Side view, Figure 2 The resist forming module 1, which is provided in one embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of this disclosure, is illustrated by a top view. In the coating and developing apparatus 10 described above, a circular substrate, i.e., a wafer W, with a diameter of, for example, 300 mm, is transported in a sealed transport container C called a FOUP (Front Opening Unity Pod). Furthermore, the wafer W is transported to the resist forming module 1 by a transport mechanism provided in the coating and developing apparatus 10.

[0038] First, a general overview of the function of the resist film formation module 1 will be provided. In the resist film formation module 1, a resist as a processing liquid is coated onto the entire surface of the wafer W, that is, the area of ​​the surface of the wafer W including at least the peripheral portion, to form a resist film. In this resist film formation module 1, while the wafer W is rotating, the position where the resist is supplied is moved from the center of the wafer W toward the peripheral edge by the movement of the nozzle. In other words, the resist as a coating liquid is applied in such a way that the trajectory of the supply position on the surface of the wafer W forms a vortex shape.

[0039] Furthermore, the movement of the resist supply position stops when it reaches the periphery of wafer W, and the supply of resist stops when there are no uncoated portions on wafer W. Regarding the resist film formed by such a resist coating, for example, due to the viscosity of the resist, a hump (protrusion) is formed at the periphery of wafer W, the height of which sometimes varies in the circumferential direction of wafer W.

[0040] Correspondingly, in the resist film formation module 1, after the resist film is formed, the height distribution of regions separated from each other in the circumferential direction of the wafer W is obtained. More specifically, height distributions are obtained for regions on the radius of the wafer W, and for multiple radially separated regions at the periphery of the wafer W from these regions along the circumferential direction. The height of the hump can be detected based on these height distributions.

[0041] The structure of the resist forming module 1 will now be described. The resist forming module 1 includes a rotating holding disk 11, a rotating mechanism 12, a pin 13, a lifting mechanism 14, a processing mechanism 2, a fixed stage 31, a lower sensor 34, and a standby section 35. The rotating holding disk 11 is a circular mounting stage approximately the same size as the wafer W, and the entire back side of the wafer W is held horizontally by overlapping with the rotating holding disk 11. Suction holes 30 are provided on the upper surface of the rotating holding disk 11 to attract the mounted wafer W.

[0042] The rotating holding disk 11 rotates around a vertical axis via the rotating mechanism 12. Three through holes 15 are provided in the rotating holding disk 11, through which three pins 13 can protrude or retract on the surface of the rotating holding disk 11 via the lifting mechanism 14. The transfer of wafer W between the coating and developing apparatus 10 and the rotating holding disk 11 is achieved by the lifting of these pins 13.

[0043] The processing unit 2 includes a resist supply nozzle 21, an arm 22, a moving mechanism 23, an upper sensor 24, a resist supply mechanism 25, and a guide rail 26. The resist supply nozzle 21 is connected to the resist supply mechanism 25, which includes valves, pumps, etc., and sprays resist supplied from the resist supply mechanism 25 at a predetermined flow rate downwards. The resist supply nozzle 21 is supported at the front end of the arm 22, and the base end of the arm 22 is connected to the moving mechanism 23. The moving mechanism 23 moves the arm 22 and the resist supply nozzle 21 horizontally, i.e., laterally, along the guide rail 26. Through the moving mechanism 23, the resist supply nozzle 21, which serves as a processing liquid supply nozzle, can move between the wafer W and a standby section 35 located at a position separated from the side of the rotating holding disk 11. The standby section 35 houses the resist supply nozzle 21, keeping it in standby mode and cleaning it.

[0044] The aforementioned moving mechanism 23 includes a lifting mechanism that vertically raises and lowers the arm 22. This lifting mechanism includes a motor equipped with an encoder. Specifically, the raising and lowering of the arm 22 is achieved by the driving force of this motor. Furthermore, the output of the encoder is constantly sent to the control unit 100, described later. The amount of motor rotation corresponds to the amount of raising and lowering of the arm 22, and the control unit 100 can detect the amount of raising and lowering of the arm 22 based on the encoder output. Therefore, the encoder output corresponds to information about the amount of raising and lowering of the arm 22, the resist supply nozzle 21, and the upper sensor 24, described later.

[0045] In addition to supporting the resist supply nozzle 21, the front end of arm 22 also supports an upper sensor 24, which serves as a first distance sensor. Arm 22, resist supply nozzle 21 (serving as a processing liquid supply nozzle), and upper sensor 24 are integrated into a movable body via a moving mechanism 23. The upper sensor 24 is a reflective distance sensor. When light is irradiated vertically downwards from its lower end, a detection signal corresponding to the distance (height difference) between the lower end of the upper sensor 24 and the object is output to the control unit 100 based on the reflected light from the irradiated object (in this embodiment, the wafer W surface and the stage 31, as described later). The control unit 100 detects the distance between the lower end of the upper sensor 24 and the object based on this detection signal.

[0046] The configuration of the resist supply nozzle 21 and the upper sensor 24 will be described in detail. The resist supply nozzle 21 and the upper sensor 24 are arranged on the arm 22 such that the position of the resist ejection and the position of the optical axis of the irradiation light from the upper sensor 24 (i.e., the position of the measurement distance) are aligned along the horizontal movement direction of the arm 22. Furthermore, the resist supply nozzle 21 is configured to supply resist along the radius of the wafer W, and the upper sensor 24 is configured to measure the distance between the upper sensor 24 and various positions of the wafer W along the radius.

[0047] A fixed stage 31 and a lower sensor 34 are provided below the movement path of the resist supply nozzle 21 and the upper sensor 24, as observed from above, between the rotating holding disk 11 and the standby unit 35. The fixed stage 31 is provided on the ground 32 for setting the resist film forming module 1. The upper surface 33 of the fixed stage 31 is a horizontal plane, which is used to pre-set a reference height (the zero point of the height) before acquiring the height distribution of the wafer W surface as described later.

[0048] A lower sensor 34, serving as a second distance sensor, is fixedly mounted on the side near the standby unit 35, relative to the fixed platform 31. The fixed platform 31 and the lower sensor 34 are arranged along the horizontal movement direction of the resist supply nozzle 21 and the upper sensor 24. The lower sensor 34 has the same structure as the upper sensor 24, except that it irradiates light vertically upwards from its upper end. The control unit 100 can detect the distance between the upper end of the lower sensor 34 and the object irradiated by the light from the lower sensor 34. Furthermore, the height of the upper end of the lower sensor 34 is the same as the height of the upper surface 33 of the fixed platform 31, and the distance between the lower sensor 34 and the object detected by the lower sensor 34 is consistent with the height difference between the upper surface 33 of the fixed platform 31 and the object. The lower sensor 34 and the control unit 100 constitute a reference height setting unit.

[0049] Next, the control unit 100 provided in the coating and developing apparatus 10 will be described. The control unit 100 is an arithmetic unit composed of a computer and includes a program 101 and a memory 102. The program 101 contains a set of steps that enable the execution of a series of actions in the coating and developing apparatus 10, which will be described later. Through the program 101, the control unit 100 outputs control signals to various parts such as the processing module and the conveying mechanism to control the actions.

[0050] Specifically, program 101 controls the transport of wafer W between processing modules included in the coating and developing apparatus 10, as well as the operations within each processing module. The operations of this processing module include, as described in detail later, acquiring distance parameters from sensors 24 and 34 in the resist forming module 1, forming the resist film, acquiring the height distribution of the wafer W's surface, detecting the height corresponding to the hump height, and determining wafer W anomalies based on the detected values. Program 101 is stored, for example, on a storage medium such as an optical disc, hard disk, or DVD, and installed in the control unit 100. Furthermore, memory 102 stores the acquired height distribution of the wafer W's surface, the reference height set for acquiring this height distribution, and the distance parameters acquired by sensors 24 and 34 respectively for setting this reference height, as described later.

[0051] Next, refer to Figures 3 to 13 Let's illustrate the operation of the resist film forming module 1. Figures 3 to 10 This is a side view showing the operation of each part of the module from the start of processing for wafer W to the acquisition of the height distribution on the surface of wafer W. Figures 3 to 10 In the process of distance detection, the light emitted from the upper sensor and the lower sensor 34 is indicated by the two-dot dashed arrows.

[0052] Figures 11-13This is a top view of the wafer W placed on the rotating holding disk 11, showing the operation of the upper sensor 24 and the wafer W after the resist film has been formed. Figures 11-13 In this context, the notch at the periphery of wafer W is denoted as N, and the light emitted from the upper sensor 24 to form the optical axis for distance detection is denoted as P. Therefore, in Figures 11-13 In the diagram, the position of light P is shown to indicate the location for distance detection.

[0053] In the following description of the actions, each action step up to obtaining the distance parameter to form the resist film is designated as step S, and each action step for obtaining the height distribution at each location after the resist film is formed is designated as step T. Steps S3 to S6 are the first process for forming the resist film, and step T is the second process.

[0054] First, the resist supply nozzle 21 is in the standby position 35. Figure 3 The unit moves to the outside of the standby section 35 through the coordinated movement of the arm 22 upwards and horizontally, thereby reaching the height specified by the encoder output, and the upper sensor 24 is positioned on the fixed stage 31. Furthermore, light is irradiated from the upper sensor 24, and the control unit 100 obtains the distance (third distance) L1 between the upper surface 33 of the fixed stage 31 and the lower end of the upper sensor 24. Figure 4 ).

[0055] Subsequently, when arm 22 moves so that resist supply nozzle 21 is positioned on lower sensor 34 and at a height specified as the encoder output, light P is irradiated from lower sensor 34, and the distance (second distance) L2 between the upper end of lower sensor 34 and the lower end of resist supply nozzle 21 is obtained. Figure 5 In addition, in Figure 4 , Figure 5 In the example shown, it is assumed that the positions of the resist supply nozzle 21 and the upper sensor 24 are higher when acquiring distance L2 than when acquiring distance L1. Additionally, in Figure 5 In the diagram, a dashed line indicates the positions of the resist supply nozzle 21 and the upper sensor 24 when the distance L1 is obtained.

[0056] Based on the difference in outputs of each encoder when distance L1 is acquired and when distance L2 is acquired, the control unit 100 calculates the height difference L3 between the resist supply nozzle 21 and the upper sensor 24 when distance L1 is acquired and when distance L2 is acquired. The height difference between the upper surface 33 of the stationary stage 31 and the lower end of the upper sensor 24 when distance L2 is acquired is distance L1 + height difference L3. Furthermore, as described above, the upper surface 33 of the stationary stage 31 is aligned with the upper end of the lower sensor 34, therefore the acquired distance L2 is equal to the height difference between the upper surface 33 of the stationary stage 31 and the lower end of the resist supply nozzle 21. Based on the above, the control unit 100 calculates the height difference between the lower end of the resist supply nozzle 21 and the lower end of the upper sensor 24, i.e., distance L4 = distance L1 + height difference L3 - distance L2. Furthermore, the control unit 100 sets a reference height L0 based on the distance L2 and detects the height of the upper sensor 24 relative to the reference height L0. For example, the height of the lower end of the resist supply nozzle 21 when the distance L2 is obtained is set as the reference height L0 (step S2).

[0057] When the actions in steps S1 and S2 above are clearly described, a reference height L0 is set, and the height of the upper sensor 24 and the height of the resist supply nozzle 21 relative to the reference height L0 are detected. Moreover, after step S2, even if the arm 22 is raised or lowered, the height of the upper sensor 24 and the resist supply nozzle 21 relative to the reference height L0 can be detected based on the encoder output.

[0058] After step S2 described above, the upper sensor 24 moves horizontally towards the center of the wafer W, which is placed on the rotating holding disk 11 by the conveying mechanism and is in a stationary state. The upper sensor 24 moves up and down in a manner where the encoder output becomes a predetermined output. Then, light P is shone from the upper sensor 24 towards the center of the wafer W to obtain the distance L5 between the center of the wafer W and the lower end of the upper sensor 24 (step S3). Figure 6 Then, the resist supply nozzle 21 is moved horizontally such that it is positioned at the center of the wafer W, and the difference between distance L5-distance L4 and a pre-set distance (let's call it L6) between the resist supply nozzle 21 and the wafer W is calculated. The resist supply nozzle 21 is then raised or lowered by an amount corresponding to this difference. Thus, the resist supply nozzle 21 is positioned at a height L6 away from the center of the wafer W (step S4). In other words, the height of the resist supply nozzle 21 is determined based on distance L4 (i.e., based on distances L1 and L2 obtained in steps S1 and S2 and the encoder output when distances L1 and L2 are obtained).

[0059] Then, the wafer W is rotated at a predetermined speed, and resist R is ejected from the resist supply nozzle 21. The resist supply nozzle 21 then begins to move horizontally toward the periphery of the wafer W (step S5). Figure 7 The resist R is supplied to the surface of wafer W. When the resist supply nozzle 21 is located at the periphery of wafer W, the horizontal movement of the resist supply nozzle 21 stops. When the resist R is coated on the entire surface of wafer W, the ejection of resist R stops. Figure 8 As the resist supply nozzle 21 rises, the wafer W continues to rotate at a specified speed, and the resist R dries and cures, thereby forming a resist film R1 (step S6).

[0060] Afterwards, the rotation of wafer W stops, and it moves in a manner that positions the upper sensor 24 at a predetermined height above the center of wafer W (step T1). The distance (first distance) of the upper sensor 24 relative to the reference height L0 at this time is set as L7. Furthermore, as described above, the height of the upper sensor 24 relative to the reference height L0 is detected in step S2, and therefore the displacement of the encoder output in step S2 and the encoder output in step T1 is calculated as the distance L7.

[0061] Moreover, light P is irradiated from the upper sensor 24. Figure 9 , Figure 11 (Left side), and the upper sensor 24 moves horizontally toward the periphery of the wafer W to obtain the distance (let's call it L8) between the surface of the wafer W and the upper sensor 24. That is, it obtains the distance between each position on the radius of the wafer W and the upper sensor 24. When the irradiation position of the light P moves to, for example, a predetermined position on the outer side of the wafer W ( Figure 10 , Figure 11 (Center), the movement of the upper sensor 24 and the illumination stop. The height distribution on the radius of the wafer W is calculated based on the difference between the distance L7 and the distance L8 (the detection value detected by the upper sensor 24) continuously acquired during the movement of the upper sensor 24 (step T2). Figure 14 The chart illustrates an example of this height distribution.

[0062] Afterwards, the wafer W rotates 90° clockwise after the rotating holding disk 11 rotates, and then comes to rest. Figure 11 Right side, step T3). Then, light P is irradiated from the upper sensor 24, and the upper sensor 24 is moved horizontally toward the center of the wafer W to again obtain the distance L8 between the surface of the wafer W and the upper sensor 24. When the irradiation position of light P moves to a predetermined position at the periphery of the wafer W ( Figure 12(Left side), the movement of the upper sensor 24 and the illumination stop. Based on the difference between the distances L7 and L8 mentioned above, the radial height distribution at the periphery of the wafer W is calculated (step T4). Figure 15 The chart illustrates an example of this height distribution.

[0063] Next, after the rotating holding disk 11 rotates and the orientation of the wafer W changes 90° clockwise, it comes to rest. Figure 12 (Central, step T5). Then, light P is irradiated from the upper sensor 24, and the upper sensor 24 is moved horizontally towards the periphery of the wafer W to obtain the distance L8 between the surface of the wafer W and the upper sensor 24. When the irradiation position of light P moves to a predetermined position outside the wafer W (… Figure 12 (Right side), the movement and light illumination of the upper sensor 24 stop. Based on the difference between distance L7 and distance L8, the relationship with... Figure 15 The same height distribution is shown (step T6). Therefore, in step T6, except for the different moving direction of the upper sensor 24, the height distribution of the wafer W is obtained in the same way as in step T4.

[0064] Afterwards, the wafer W rotates 90° clockwise after the rotating holding disk 11 rotates, and then comes to rest. Figure 13 Left side, step T7). Then, light P is irradiated from the upper sensor 24, and the upper sensor 24 is moved horizontally toward the center of the wafer W to obtain the distance L8 between the surface of the wafer W and the upper sensor 24. When the irradiation position of light P moves to a predetermined position at the periphery of the wafer W ( Figure 13 (Right side), the movement of the upper sensor 24 and the cessation of light illumination, based on distances L7 and L8, determine the relationship with... Figure 15 The same height distribution of wafer W is shown (step T8). Therefore, in this step T8, the height distribution of wafer W is obtained in the same way as in step T4 described above. After that, the upper sensor 24 is retracted from wafer W, and the resist supply nozzle 21 returns to the standby unit 35 (step T9). Moreover, wafer W is removed from resist film forming module 1 by the transport mechanism of coating and developing apparatus 10.

[0065] In this way, the wafer W is rotated intermittently in steps T1 to T9, and when the wafer W is stationary during the intermittent rotation, the height distribution is obtained by moving the upper sensor 24. Figure 16The movement paths of the light P in steps T2, T4, T6, and T8 are respectively designated as A1, A2, A3, and A4, and are shown correspondingly to the wafer W. For example, the outer periphery of the wafer W along movement paths A1 to A4 is separated from the periphery of the wafer W by 2 mm. Similarly, the center side of the wafer W along movement paths A2 to A4 is separated from the periphery of the wafer W by 3 mm. Therefore, a height distribution is obtained at four positions on the periphery of the wafer W between a first position 2 mm closer to the center than the periphery of the wafer W and a second position at the periphery of the wafer W.

[0066] The rotational speed of wafer W in steps T3, T5, and T7 is, for example, 10 rpm. Furthermore, the time required for each step T, i.e., the time for the upper sensor 24 to move as described above in each step T, is, for example, 10 seconds in T1, T4, T6, and T8; 152 seconds in T2; 15 seconds in T3, T5, and T7; and 5 seconds in T9.

[0067] Furthermore, regarding the information obtained in step T2 Figure 14 The height distribution is defined as follows: the peak of the waveform at a position closer to the periphery of wafer W (denoted as R0) represents the top of the hump. The difference between this peak and the reference height L0 is taken as the height L9 corresponding to the height of the hump. Regarding the height distribution obtained in steps T4, T6, and T8, the peak of the waveform represents the top of the hump, and the difference between this peak and the reference height L0 is taken as the height L9 corresponding to the height of the hump. Furthermore, these heights L9 are compared with preset tolerance values. If all are below the tolerance value, wafer W is considered to have no anomaly related to the hump; if all heights L9 exceed the tolerance value, wafer W is considered to have an anomaly related to the hump.

[0068] In addition, the abnormality of wafer W can be determined based on the difference L9 between the reference height L0 and the height of the peak of the waveform of the height distribution. However, it is also possible to detect the height difference between the peak of the waveform and the foothills that make up the peak, that is, to detect the height of the hump itself, and to determine whether there is an abnormality based on the detected value.

[0069] Furthermore, in step T2 described above, the radius of wafer W, i.e., the height distribution from the center to the periphery of wafer W, is obtained. Therefore, based on the height distribution obtained in step T2, specifically the height distribution closer to the center of wafer W than the height distribution obtained in steps T4, T6, and T8, the flatness of the resist film can be detected, and it can be determined whether wafer W has any abnormalities. Specifically, for example, the height difference between the highest and lowest positions in the height distribution on the center side is calculated. Moreover, if the difference is within an acceptable range, it is assumed that there are no flatness abnormalities in wafer W (high flatness); if the difference is outside the acceptable range, it is assumed that there are flatness abnormalities in wafer W (low flatness). The control unit 100 that performs such determination constitutes a determination unit.

[0070] Next, refer to Figure 17 Top view, Figure 18 The structure of the coating and developing apparatus 10 is illustrated by a side view. The coating and developing apparatus 10 is configured such that a carrier block D1, a processing block D2, and an interface block D3 are connected sequentially in the left-right direction, and the interface block D3 is connected to the exposure machine D4. The carrier block D1 includes a stage 41 for a transport container C, an opening and closing part 42, and a transport mechanism 43 for transporting the wafer W to the transport container C via the opening and closing part 42.

[0071] Processing block D2 is constructed by stacking layers E1 to E6 sequentially from bottom to top. Layers E1 to E3 are layers for forming the resist film and are constructed in the same manner. Layers E4 to E6 are layers for developing and are constructed in the same manner. Layer E1 will be described representatively. A transport region 51 is formed with a wafer W extending horizontally, and a transport mechanism F1 is provided in the transport region 51. A hydrophobication module 52 and a heating module 53 are provided on the rear side of the transport region 51. The hydrophobication module 52 supplies processing gas to the surface of the wafer W to perform hydrophobication treatment before the formation of the resist film. The heating module 53 heats the wafer W after the resist film is formed to remove the solvent contained in the resist. Multiple resist film forming modules 1, as described above, are arranged horizontally on the front side of the transport region 51.

[0072] Layers E4 to E6 have the same structure as layers E1 to E3 except for the following cases: a developing module is used instead of the resist forming module 1; a hydrophobication module 52 and a heating module 53 are not provided for PEB (Post Exposure Bake). Furthermore, the conveying mechanisms corresponding to conveying mechanism F1 in layers E2 to E6 are designated as F2 to F6. Additionally, in processing block D2, a tower section V1 is provided on the carrier block D1 side of the conveying area 51, spanning layers E1 to E6. The tower section V1 has multiple overlapping transfer modules TRS. A conveying mechanism 54 is provided to transport materials between these transfer modules TRS.

[0073] Interface block D3 includes tower sections V2, V3, and V4, which are constructed by stacking multiple modules. Detailed descriptions of the modules included in tower sections V2 through V4 are omitted, but the modules in tower section V2 include the multi-layered transfer module TRS. Markings 61, 62, and 63 in the figure represent the wafer transport mechanisms that transfer wafers W between tower sections V2 and V3, between tower sections V3 and V4, and between tower section V2 and the exposure machine D4, respectively.

[0074] In the coating and developing apparatus 10, after the wafer W is transported from the transport container C to the tower section V1 via the transport mechanism 43, the wafer W is then transported into one of the layers E1 to E3 via the transport mechanism 54. Furthermore, the wafer W is sequentially transported to the hydrophobication module 52 → resist film formation module 1 → heating module 53 → tower section V2 via the transport mechanisms F1 to F3. Thus, hydrophobication treatment, resist film formation (as described above), height distribution acquisition, hump height detection, wafer W anomaly determination, and heating treatment are performed sequentially. Afterwards, the wafer W is transferred between tower sections V2 to V4 via the transport mechanisms 61 to 63 and transported to the exposure machine D4 for exposure of the resist film according to the circuit pattern.

[0075] After exposure, the wafer W is transferred between tower sections V2 and V4 via conveyor mechanisms 61-63 and then moved into layers E4-E6. Conveyor mechanisms F4-F6 then sequentially transfer the wafer W to the heating module 53 and the developing module, where it undergoes PEB and developing processes to form a resist pattern. Afterward, the wafer W is returned to the transport container C via tower section V1 and conveyor mechanisms 54 and 43.

[0076] According to the coating and developing apparatus 10 described above, the wafer W is rotated in the resist forming module 1 by rotating the holding disk 11, and the upper sensor 24 is moved by the moving mechanism 23 and the arm 22. With this structure, the height distribution between the center side and the peripheral side of the wafer W at multiple locations separated from each other in the circumferential direction is obtained at the periphery of the wafer W. Therefore, the wafer W, after the resist film is formed by the resist forming module 1, is stored in the transport container C and transported to the measuring device outside the coating and developing apparatus 10 without having to remove the wafer W from the transport container C and perform hump height measurement. That is, the time required for the coating and developing apparatus 10 to obtain the aforementioned height distribution to obtain information about the hump height is reduced.

[0077] Furthermore, if the height of the resist film's hump is too large, insufficient ashing may occur at the hump portion when etching the underlying film beneath the resist using the resist pattern and ashing the unwanted resist pattern. When this is prevented by extending the processing time or increasing the intensity of the plasma used in ashing, the damage to the center of wafer W increases. Additionally, if the height of the resist film's hump is too large, insufficient etching of the underlying film below the hump may occur, potentially resulting in the absence of a recess where one should be formed. In this case, during CMP and cleaning after etching, the CMP slurry and cleaning solution may not drain out through the recess to the outside of wafer W, remaining on the wafer W surface and thus becoming a defect.

[0078] It is possible that an excessively high hump height could lead to a decrease in the yield of semiconductor products manufactured from wafer W. Therefore, obtaining the height distribution of the periphery of wafer W and performing wafer W anomaly determination in the coating and developing apparatus 10, as described above, helps to prompt adjustments to various parameters, such as those used for maintenance and processing of various parts of the module, at appropriate timing, in order to prevent a decrease in the yield of semiconductor products. Furthermore, the acquisition of the height distribution of wafer W in steps T1 to T8 can be performed not for each wafer W, but once every predetermined number of wafers W, or for each batch of wafers W.

[0079] Furthermore, by using the distance L2 detected by the lower sensor 34 in the resist film forming module 1, the reference height L0 is set, the height of the resist supply nozzle 21 from the reference height L0 is detected, and the height difference between the resist supply nozzle 21 and the upper sensor 24 is detected. In other words, by setting the lower sensor 34, these setting and detection operations can be performed automatically. For example, compared to setting and detecting these parameters by having the user of the device use tools to measure the distance from the fixed stage 31, less time is spent, which is advantageous.

[0080] Furthermore, the parameters obtained by performing steps S1 and S2 once are stored in the memory 102 of the control unit 100. The stored parameters can be used subsequently, so steps S1 and S2 do not need to be repeated. Therefore, after performing steps S1 and S2 once, the lower sensor 34, used only in step S2, can be removed from the resist film forming module 1. However, it is believed that changes to the structure of the resist film forming module 1, such as replacing the resist supply nozzle 21, or adjustments to various parts of the module, can cause deviations between the obtained parameters and the actual values. Therefore, it is preferable to always keep the lower sensor 34 in the module so that steps S1 and S2 can be performed at any time, such as when the device is started, to update the parameters.

[0081] Furthermore, for steps T1 to T9 of obtaining the height distribution, the control unit 100 outputs control signals to implement each step according to a set of parameters, i.e., the process parameters, such as the rotational speed of the wafer W, the position of the moving body composed of the upper sensor 24, the arm 22, and the time of implementation. Similarly, for steps S3 to S6 of forming the resist film on the wafer W, the control unit 100 outputs control signals to implement each step according to the same set of parameters, i.e., the rotational speed of the wafer W, the position of the moving body, and the time of implementation, as specified in steps T1 to T9. In other words, the rotational speed of the wafer W and the position of the moving body in each step S and T are preset, and the process moves to the next step after a preset time for one step has elapsed. However, as described above, regarding the height position of the moving body when the resist is ejected in step S5, such as… Figure 6 , Figure 7 As described, the distance L5 detected by the upper sensor 24 is changed according to the preset height.

[0082] As described above, the processes performing steps T1 to T9 include the same parameters as those performing steps S3 to S6 for forming the resist film. Therefore, the processes performing steps T1 to T9 can be fabricated by appropriately repurposing and modifying the processes performing steps S3 to S6, thus offering the advantage of ease of fabrication. This can be attributed to the advantage of utilizing the rotating holding disk 11, arm 22, moving mechanism 23, and upper sensor 24 used for resist coating in steps S3 to S6, which are mechanisms for obtaining the height distribution of the wafer W in steps T1 to T9. Furthermore, each process is stored in the memory 102 of the control unit 100.

[0083] Furthermore, whenever a reference height L0 for obtaining the height distribution is set in steps T1 to T9, the distance L2 between the lower sensor 34 and the resist supply nozzle 21 is detected. The value calculated based on this distance L2 is also used to adjust the height of the resist supply nozzle 21 when ejecting the resist. By controlling the nozzle height, the controllability of the film thickness at various points on the resist film can be improved, allowing for the setting of the desired film thickness. In other words, by measuring the distance L2, it is preferable to achieve both the ability to set the reference height L0 for measuring the surface height of the wafer W and to improve the controllability of the resist film thickness.

[0084] Furthermore, in steps T1 to T9, between the time wafer W is stationary and the next time wafer W is stationary, the upper sensor 24 reciprocates along the periphery of wafer W. By activating the upper sensor 24 in this way, unnecessary movement of the upper sensor 24 used to acquire height distribution can be eliminated. As a result, the prolonged stationary time of wafer W can be suppressed, thereby suppressing a decrease in productivity.

[0085] Additionally, in step T2, the height distribution outside the periphery of wafer W is also obtained. Therefore, the height distribution of the periphery of wafer W can also be obtained using the height distribution from step T2, and it can be determined whether there are any abnormalities related to the hump, so as to eliminate the influence caused by the warping of wafer W. Figure 19 To explain in detail. Figure 19 The upper part shows an example of the height distribution along the radius of the wafer W obtained in step T2. As this height distribution, due to the warping of the wafer W, there is a relatively large difference between the center side and the peripheral side of the wafer W, and the height of the surface of the wafer W increases towards the peripheral side, deviating further from the reference height L0.

[0086] The control unit 100, which constitutes the warpage correction mechanism, calculates the difference H1 between the height of the wafer W at its center and the height of the wafer W at a position R0 on the periphery of the wafer W closer to the center than the position where the hump is formed. Furthermore, it corrects the height of the wafer W at position R0 closer to the periphery of the wafer W by an amount equivalent to H1, so that the height of the wafer W at position R0 is consistent with the height of the center of the wafer W. Figure 19 The lower part shows the height distribution after correction as shown in this image.

[0087] Furthermore, the height L9 corresponding to the height of the hump described above is detected based on the corrected height distribution, and an anomaly is determined. Regarding the height distribution calculated in steps T4, T6, and T8, the height of wafer W is corrected by an amount equivalent to H1, and height L9 is detected to determine an anomaly. However, as described above, the rotating holding disk 11 attracts the mounted wafer W. If the warpage of wafer W is eliminated by this attraction, the aforementioned correction is not necessary.

[0088] Additionally, the control unit 100 can be configured to send information such as the ID of the wafer W that is determined to have an abnormal height of the hump to the exposure machine D4 for identifying the wafer W, and the exposure machine D4 performs processing based on this information. (See reference...) Figure 20 , Figure 21 To explain in more detail. In the figure, 71 is the stage on which the wafer W is placed inside the exposure machine D4, and 72 is the exposure head that shines light onto the wafer W. By moving the stage 71 back and forth and left and right, the semiconductor products, i.e., the chip formation areas, which are arranged in large numbers on the surface of the wafer W, are exposed sequentially.

[0089] Figure 20 This illustrates the processing of a normal wafer W. Figure 21 This illustrates the processing of an abnormal wafer W. Compared to processing a normal wafer W, when processing an abnormal wafer W, the movement of the stage 71 is restricted, resulting in the chip formation area located at the outermost periphery of the wafer W not being exposed. Therefore, in the resist film, the exposure range for pattern formation is controlled based on the presence or absence of the abnormality in the wafer W.

[0090] Regarding wafers W that are deemed abnormal as described above, peripheral exposure is not performed, thereby reducing the operating cost of exposure machine D4 or increasing its productivity. Furthermore, the resist film exposed by exposure machine D4 can be a resist film formed by resist film forming module 1 as described above, or a resist film formed by resist film forming module 8 as described later and subjected to EBR treatment.

[0091] Without doing such Figure 21With such exposure range control, if the chip formation areas of an abnormal wafer W are exposed in the same way as those of a normal wafer W, then, for example, chips manufactured from the formation area closest to the periphery of the abnormal wafer W can be considered abnormal products. In other words, such chips can be excluded from inspection and discarded, or removed from yield calculations.

[0092] Furthermore, the hump is not limited to being formed by supplying the coating liquid in a spiral manner, as in the resist film forming module 1. Figure 22 The resist film forming module 8 is shown, which forms the resist film in a different manner than the resist film forming module 1. In each of the layers E1 to E3 of the coating and developing apparatus 10 described above, resist film forming modules 1 and 8 are arranged side by side to replace the arrangement of multiple resist film forming modules 1.

[0093] Regarding the resist forming module 8, the differences between it and the resist forming module 1 will be explained. In the resist forming module 8, resist is supplied to the center of the wafer W, and the wafer W is rotated, thereby using centrifugal force to spread the resist and form a resist film R1 on the entire surface of the wafer W. Thus, the resist film R1 is formed by so-called spin coating. Furthermore, a cup portion 81 is provided to surround the wafer W placed on the processing stage, i.e., the spin holding disk 11, to catch the resist and diluent (described later) that are scattered from the wafer W during spin coating.

[0094] The resist forming module 8 includes a diluent supply nozzle 83 supported on an arm 82. The arm 82 moves between the upper region and the outer side of the wafer W via a moving mechanism (not shown) that has the same structure as the moving mechanism 23 that moves the arm 22. Diluent 84, serving as a processing solution, is sprayed onto the peripheral portion of the rotating wafer W after resist formation via the diluent supply nozzle 83, thereby removing the resist film R1 from the location where the diluent 84 is sprayed to the peripheral edge of the wafer W. In other words, a so-called EBR (Edge Bead Removal) process, which removes the coated film only at the peripheral portion of the wafer W, is performed specifically.

[0095] The diluent 84 supplied to wafer W slightly pushes the dissolved resist to the center side of wafer W, which sometimes forms a hump in the resist film R1 after EBR treatment. Moreover, due to the positional offset of wafer W relative to the rotating holding disk 11 and the offset of the liquid flow of diluent 84 in the circumferential direction of wafer W, the height of the hump is sometimes different in the circumferential direction of wafer W.

[0096] In each layer E1 to E3, the wafer W, after being processed in the resist forming module 8, is transferred to the resist forming module 1 by the transfer mechanisms F1 to F3, and the previously described steps T1 to T9 are performed. Except for this inter-layer transfer between resist forming modules in E1 to E3, the wafer W is transferred within the coating and developing apparatus 10 along the same path as described. Therefore, the transfer mechanisms F1 to F3 transfer the wafer W from the resist forming module 8 to the resist forming module 1 without passing through the transfer container C. Therefore, even if the coating and developing apparatus 10 is configured with a structure including the resist forming module 8, it is not necessary to transfer the wafer W to an external measurement device after resist formation, thus reducing the time required to obtain a high degree of distribution as described above.

[0097] Furthermore, when the aforementioned resist film forming module 8 is installed in the device, the resist film forming module 1 can be configured as a dedicated inspection module for acquiring high-distribution resists, excluding the resist supply nozzle 21. When configured as such a dedicated inspection module, the upper sensor 24 is not limited to linear movement between the center and peripheral sides of the wafer W; for example, it can be configured as follows: Figure 23 As shown, it moves in an arc-like manner when viewed from above. Figure 85 is a rotating mechanism connected to the base end of arm 22 and used to rotate arm 22 about a vertical axis, and Figure 86 is a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the rotating mechanism 85. Figure 23 In the structural example, apart from the different movement trajectory of the upper sensor 24, it is similar to... Figures 13-15 The example shown also obtains the height distribution.

[0098] In addition, if the resist film forming module 1 is set as an inspection-specific module without nozzle 21, in step S2, instead of irradiating the resist supply nozzle 21 from the lower sensor 34, light can be irradiated to the arm 22 to detect the distance, and the height of the distance from the specified distance can be determined as the reference height L0.

[0099] Furthermore, in the case of setting up a dedicated inspection module like this, the upper sensor 24, which illuminates the stationary stage 31, can be raised or lowered to set the desired height (distance L1) as the reference height L0. Then, the height of the upper sensor 24 relative to this reference height L0 is detected based on the encoder output. In other words, without the resist supply nozzle 21, it is not necessary to obtain the height of the resist supply nozzle 21 relative to the reference height L0. Therefore, the lower sensor 34 for detecting the nozzle 21 does not need to be installed in the module, and the reference height L0 can be set without using the lower sensor 34.

[0100] Alternatively, when configured as a dedicated inspection module, the arm 22 can be designed so that it does not perform lifting or lowering movements, and the upper sensor 24 only moves horizontally. Furthermore, the distance L7 between an arbitrarily set reference height L0 and the upper sensor 24 can be pre-obtained using, for example, a tool, and the height distribution of the wafer W can be obtained based on this distance L7 and the distance L8 detected by the upper sensor 24 relative to the wafer W. With this structure, since there is no displacement of the height of the upper sensor 24, the height distribution of the wafer W can be obtained without using the output of an encoder.

[0101] Furthermore, when obtaining the resist film formation and height distribution through the resist film formation module 1, as Figure 4 In step S1, light is shone from the upper sensor 24 onto the fixed stage 31 to obtain the distance L1 between the upper sensor 24 and the fixed stage 31. However, the upper sensor 24 can also face the lower sensor 34, and the distance L1 can be obtained by shimmering light onto the lower sensor 34. Therefore, the fixed stage 31 may not be required. Furthermore, when obtaining the distance L1 by having the upper sensor 24 and the lower sensor 34 face each other, the distance L1 can also be obtained by shimmering light from the lower sensor 34 onto the upper sensor 24. In the example above, the heights of the corrosion inhibitor supply nozzle 21 and the upper sensor 24 were changed when performing step S1 and step S2, but they can be the same height.

[0102] Furthermore, in the previously described example, the height distribution of wafer W is acquired at four locations on the periphery of wafer W. However, it is not limited to acquiring the height distribution at four locations; it can be acquired at more or fewer locations. However, as mentioned above, the height of the hump varies along the circumference of wafer W. Therefore, the height distribution can be acquired at multiple locations by rotating wafer W. Additionally, in the previously described example, the height distribution from a position near the center of wafer W to the periphery of wafer W is acquired at the periphery of wafer W. However, as with the case processed by resist forming module 8, sometimes the hump forms at a position closer to the center than the periphery of wafer W. Therefore, it is possible to acquire the height distribution between a position near the center of wafer W and a position closer to the center than the periphery of wafer W, instead of acquiring the height distribution up to the periphery of wafer W.

[0103] An example of obtaining height distribution and determining anomalies on a wafer W with a resist film formed has been described. However, the same process can also be used to obtain height distribution and determine anomalies on a wafer W with a coating film other than a resist film, such as an anti-reflective film or an insulating film. Furthermore, by moving the nozzle that ejects the coating liquid from the peripheral edge of the wafer W towards the center while the wafer W is rotated, an annular coating film is formed at the periphery of the wafer W. Sometimes, a hump is formed at the center of this annular coating film. The same process can be used to obtain height distribution and determine anomalies on a wafer W with such a coating film formed.

[0104] As a substrate processing apparatus, an example structure is shown that forms and develops a resist film as a coating film. However, the apparatus is not limited to this structure; it could also be a structure that only forms a coating film or a structure that only performs EBR. Furthermore, the upper sensor 24 and the lower sensor 34 can be used as long as they are capable of measuring the distance between themselves and the object separated from each sensor. Therefore, it is not limited to the optical distance sensor described above; for example, an ultrasonic distance sensor could also be used.

[0105] Furthermore, it should be considered that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The above embodiments may be omitted, substituted, modified, or combined in various ways without departing from the appended claims and their spirit.

[0106] (Reference Experiment)

[0107] A coating film is formed on wafer W. The height of the hump of this coating film is measured using a film thickness gauge based on spectrophotometry and a testing apparatus, similar to the resist film formation module 1, in which the upper sensor 24 moves on wafer W. The film thickness gauge is configured to measure the surface of wafer W at 10 μm intervals, and the testing apparatus is configured to acquire distances at 0.1 μm intervals during movement. Furthermore, the hump of wafer W measured by the film thickness gauge and testing apparatus is examined using X-SEM (cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy) to measure the actual height and verify the accuracy of the measurement results from the film thickness gauge and testing apparatus.

[0108] exist Figure 24 The results of this reference experiment are presented in the chart. The horizontal axis (X-axis) of the chart represents the height of the hump as measured by X-SEM (unit: The vertical axis (Y-axis) of the chart represents the height of the hump (unit: ) measured by the experimental setup and film thickness measuring instrument, respectively. In the graphs, white dots represent the results obtained from the experimental setup, while dots with diagonal lines represent the results obtained from the film thickness measuring instrument. Furthermore, the solid and dashed lines in the graphs are approximate straight lines representing the results obtained from the experimental setup and the film thickness measuring instrument, respectively.

[0109] The approximate straight line of the test setup is Y = 0.9877X, and the approximate straight line of the film thickness measuring device is Y = 0.3671X. Therefore, based on this reference test, it can be seen that the height of the hump can be measured with high accuracy using the described resist film formation module 1. Furthermore, the low accuracy of the hump height measured by the film thickness measuring device is believed to be due to the following: because the measurement interval on the surface of wafer W is relatively large, the height of the top of the hump is not measured, but rather a height deviating from that top is measured.

[0110] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0111] 10: Coating and developing device; 11: Rotating holding plate; 21: Resist supply nozzle; 22: Arm; 23: Moving mechanism; 24: Upper sensor; 12: Rotating mechanism.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a processing liquid supply nozzle that supplies a processing liquid to at least a peripheral portion of a surface of a substrate to perform processing; a stage that places the substrate to which the processing liquid is supplied; a moving body that includes a first distance sensor for detecting a distance between the substrate placed on the stage; a control section that outputs a control signal; a moving mechanism that receives the control signal, moves the moving body laterally on the peripheral portion of the substrate, and acquires a height distribution between a first position at the peripheral portion of the substrate that is closer to a center of the substrate and a second position that is closer to a peripheral edge of the substrate than the first position; and a rotating mechanism that receives the control signal, rotates the stage with respect to the moving body, and acquires the height distribution at a plurality of positions that are separated from each other in a circumferential direction of the substrate, respectively, the moving mechanism elevates and lowers the moving body with respect to the stage, and outputs information of an elevation amount, the substrate processing apparatus is provided with a calculation section that acquires the height distribution based on a first distance between a reference height at which the moving body moves laterally and the first distance sensor calculated from the information of the elevation amount, and a detection value detected by the first distance sensor, a reference height setting section for setting the reference height, the reference height setting section includes: the calculation section; and a second distance sensor provided below a moving path of the moving body for detecting a second distance to the moving body, wherein the calculation section sets the reference height based on the second distance, the processing liquid supply nozzle is included in the moving body, the second distance is a distance between the processing liquid supply nozzle and the second distance sensor, and the calculation section determines a height of the processing liquid supply nozzle when the processing liquid is supplied to the substrate based on the second distance, a third distance between the first distance sensor and the second distance sensor acquired by the first distance sensor or the second distance sensor, and the information of the elevation amount at the time of acquiring the second distance and the third distance, respectively.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing liquid is a coating liquid for forming a coating film, the first processing of moving the processing liquid supply nozzle by the moving mechanism to move a supply position of the coating liquid from a central portion of the substrate toward the peripheral portion is performed on the substrate that is rotated, and the second processing of acquiring the height distribution at a plurality of positions is performed on the substrate on which the first processing is performed.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first processing and the second processing include a plurality of steps that are each performed continuously, and each step is performed by outputting the control signal based on a process output that is set based on a rotational speed of the substrate, a position of the moving body, and a time at which the step is performed, respectively.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ The processing liquid is a removal liquid for removing a film formed on the entire surface of the substrate placed on a processing stage different from the placement stage, and the removal liquid is used to selectively remove the film of the peripheral portion of the substrate from among the film formed on the entire surface of the substrate placed on the processing stage. The substrate processing apparatus is provided with a conveyance mechanism that conveys the substrate from the processing stage to the placement stage without passing through a conveyance container that is closed in a state in which the substrate is stored inside.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The height distribution at a plurality of positions is acquired by intermittent rotation of the substrate by the rotation mechanism and lateral movement of the first distance sensor by the movement mechanism while the substrate is stationary during the intermittent rotation.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein The first distance sensor reciprocates on the peripheral portion of the substrate between when the substrate is stationary and the next time the substrate is stationary.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein A correction mechanism is provided that acquires a distance between the first distance sensor and the central portion of the substrate by the first distance sensor and corrects the height distribution based on the distance.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein One of the height distributions acquired by the first distance sensor is a height distribution from the central portion to the peripheral portion of the substrate, The substrate processing apparatus is provided with a determination portion that determines whether or not the substrate is abnormal based on a height distribution on the central portion side of the substrate among the height distributions.

9. A substrate processing method comprising the steps of: processing by supplying a processing liquid to at least a peripheral portion of a surface of a substrate by a processing liquid supply nozzle; placing the substrate to which the processing liquid is supplied on a placement stage; detecting a distance between the substrate placed on the placement stage by a first distance sensor included in a moving body; acquiring a height distribution between a first position on a central portion of the substrate and a second position on a peripheral end portion of the substrate on the peripheral portion of the substrate by moving the moving body laterally by a movement mechanism; acquiring the height distribution at a plurality of positions separated from each other in a circumferential direction of the substrate by rotating the placement stage with respect to the moving body by a rotation mechanism; lifting the moving body with respect to the placement stage by the movement mechanism and outputting information of the lift amount; acquiring the height distribution based on a first distance between a reference height of the moving body when moved laterally calculated from the information of the lift amount and the first distance sensor and a detection value detected by the first distance sensor by an arithmetic portion; setting the reference height by a reference height setting portion including the arithmetic portion and a second distance sensor provided below a movement path of the moving body for detecting a second distance to the moving body. The reference height is set by the operation section based on the second distance, The processing liquid supply nozzle is included in the moving body, and the second distance is a distance between the processing liquid supply nozzle and the second distance sensor, The substrate processing method further includes a process of deciding a height of the processing liquid supply nozzle at the time of supplying the processing liquid to the substrate, by the operation section based on the second distance, a third distance between the first distance sensor and the second distance sensor acquired by the first distance sensor or the second distance sensor, and information of the lift amount at the time of acquiring the second distance and the third distance, respectively.

10. The substrate processing method according to claim 9, wherein The processing liquid is a resist in which a resist film is formed on the substrate, or a removal liquid in which a portion formed on a peripheral portion of the substrate is defined to be removed from a resist film formed on an entire surface of the substrate, The substrate processing method includes a process of controlling a range of exposure performed in order to form a pattern in the resist film based on the height distribution.

Images