Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method, and specifically, the substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate includes: a liquid processing chamber performing liquid processing on the substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the substrate; a drying chamber that dries the substrate; a transfer manipulator that transfers the substrate from the liquid processing chamber to the drying chamber; and an inspection unit that inspects a state of the drying chamber.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0175276 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on December 6, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to a substrate processing device and a substrate processing method, and more particularly, to a substrate processing device and a method for drying a substrate after liquid processing. Background Art

[0004] Various processes such as photolithography, deposition, ashing, etching, and ion implantation are performed to manufacture semiconductor devices. Further, before and after these processes, a cleaning process is performed to remove particles remaining on the substrate.

[0005] Meanwhile, as an etching process among these processes, a wet etching process of processing a substrate by discharging an etching solution and a dry etching process of performing plasma processing on the substrate are generally used.

[0006] In the wet etching process, a substrate is processed by discharging a processing liquid to the substrate in a liquid processing chamber, and then the substrate is transferred to a drying chamber to dry the substrate.

[0007] In this case, foreign substances such as particles or films may exist in the drying chamber before the substrate is loaded into the drying chamber. Such foreign substances may be adsorbed on the surface of the already dried substrate or interfere with the drying process, thereby causing processing defects. Summary of the invention

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method which prevent processing defects of a substrate due to a bad state of a drying chamber before loading a liquid-processed substrate in a liquid processing chamber into a drying chamber.

[0009] The objects of the present invention are not limited to the above objects, and it should be understood that those skilled in the art can derive other objects not stated herein from the components described and shown in the following description and the drawings.

[0010] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose of the present invention, a substrate processing device for processing a substrate includes: a liquid processing chamber, which performs liquid processing on a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the substrate; a drying chamber, which dries the substrate; a transfer robot, which transfers the substrate from the liquid processing chamber to the drying chamber; and an inspection unit, which inspects the state of the drying chamber.

[0011] According to an embodiment, the inspection unit may include a camera that obtains image information by photographing the inside of the drying chamber.

[0012] According to an embodiment, the inspection unit may further include a light source unit which emits light to a photographing area of ​​the camera within the drying chamber.

[0013] According to the embodiment, the light source unit may emit light in the visible light or ultraviolet band.

[0014] According to an embodiment, the state of the drying chamber may include a foreign matter state of the drying chamber.

[0015] According to an embodiment, the inspection unit may further include an image analyzer which detects whether a foreign object exists from the image information.

[0016] According to an embodiment, the drying chamber may include: an upper body and a lower body, which provide a processing space therein by being combined with each other; and an actuator, which changes the position between a state in which the processing space is closed and a state in which the processing space is opened by actuating the upper body or the lower body, and a control unit controls the transfer robot to check the state of the drying chamber when the drying chamber is opened.

[0017] According to an embodiment, a film may be provided in a partial region of at least either one of the upper body and the lower body, and the camera checks a state of the film.

[0018] According to an embodiment, the inspection may be performed while processing a substrate to be loaded into a drying chamber in a liquid processing chamber.

[0019] According to an embodiment, the camera may be mounted on a transferring robot.

[0020] According to an embodiment, the transfer robot may further include: a shaft; a hand mounted on the shaft so as to be able to move forward and backward; and a support coupled to an upper end of the shaft, and the camera is coupled to the shaft, and the light source unit is coupled to the support.

[0021] According to the embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus may further include a control unit controlling the transfer robot, wherein the control unit may control whether to load the substrate liquid-processed in the liquid processing chamber into the drying chamber based on a result of inspection by the inspection unit.

[0022] According to the embodiment, the control unit may control the transfer robot so as not to transfer the substrate to the drying chamber when the foreign matter is detected in the drying chamber.

[0023] According to an embodiment, a substrate processing method for processing a substrate includes: performing liquid processing on a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the substrate, and loading the liquid-processed substrate into a drying chamber and drying it; and checking a state of the drying chamber before loading the liquid-processed substrate into the drying chamber, and determining whether to load the substrate into the drying chamber based on a result of the checking.

[0024] According to an embodiment, the state of the drying chamber may include a foreign matter state of the drying chamber.

[0025] According to an embodiment, the inspection of the state of the drying chamber is performed while liquid processing is being performed.

[0026] According to the embodiment, the inspection of the state of the drying chamber is performed by photographing the inside of the drying chamber using a camera to obtain an image, and analyzing the obtained image.

[0027] According to an embodiment, the camera may be mounted on a transfer robot that transfers the substrate from the liquid processing chamber to the drying chamber.

[0028] According to an embodiment, when the camera photographs the drying chamber, ultraviolet light or visible light is emitted to the photographing area.

[0029] Meanwhile, in order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose of the present invention, a substrate processing device for processing a substrate includes: a liquid processing chamber, which performs liquid processing on a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the substrate; a drying chamber, which dries the substrate, and includes an upper body and a lower body that provide a processing space therein by being combined with each other, and an actuator that changes the position between a state in which the processing space is closed and a state in which the processing space is opened by actuating the upper body or the lower body; a membrane, which is provided on a partial area of ​​at least either the upper body or the lower body; a transfer robot, which transfers the substrate from the liquid processing chamber to the drying chamber; and a control unit, which controls Controlling a conveying robot to check the state of the drying chamber when the drying chamber is opened; and an inspection unit that checks the state of foreign matter in the drying chamber, wherein the inspection unit includes: a camera that obtains image information and checks the state of the film by photographing the inside of the drying chamber, and the camera is mounted on the conveying robot; a light source unit that emits visible light or ultraviolet light to a photographing area of ​​the camera in the drying chamber, and the light source unit is mounted on the conveying robot; and an image analyzer that detects whether there is foreign matter from the image information, and the image analyzer performs the inspection when processing a substrate to be loaded into the drying chamber in a liquid processing chamber.

[0030] The present invention can check the state of the drying chamber before loading the substrate liquid-processed in the liquid processing chamber into the drying chamber, thereby preventing processing defects of the substrate.

[0031] The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and those skilled in the art can understand that other effects not stated herein can be derived from the components used in the following description and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Various features and advantages of the non-limiting exemplary embodiments of the present specification may become apparent upon reviewing the detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims. Unless explicitly stated, the drawings are not to be considered drawn to scale. For clarity, the various dimensions in the drawings may be exaggerated.

[0033] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 2 To schematically show Figure 1 A diagram of an embodiment of a liquid processing chamber.

[0035] Figure 3 To schematically show Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a diagram of an embodiment of a drying chamber.

[0036] Figure 4 This is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which the inspection unit performs inspection in a state in which the drying chamber is opened.

[0037] Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a substrate processing method.

[0038] Figure 6 and Figure 7 To show that according to Figure 5 A diagram showing the flow of a substrate conveying path in the order of a substrate processing method is shown.

[0039] Figure 8 FIG. 4 is a plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments of the present invention may be modified in various ways, and the scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited by the embodiments described below. Embodiments are provided to more fully explain the present invention to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the shapes of the components shown in the accompanying drawings are exaggerated to enhance their clearer description.

[0042] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] refer to Figure 1 , the substrate processing device includes an index module 10, a processing module 20 and a control unit 30. According to the embodiment, the index module 10 and the processing module 20 are arranged in one direction. Hereinafter, the direction in which the index module 10 and the processing module 20 are arranged is referred to as a first direction 92, a direction perpendicular to the first direction 92 when viewed from above is referred to as a second direction 94, and a direction perpendicular to both the first direction 92 and the second direction 94 is referred to as a third direction 96.

[0044] The index module 10 transfers the substrate W from the container 80 containing the substrate W to the process module 20, and puts the processed substrate W at the process module 20 into the container 80. The longitudinal direction of the index module 10 is set in the second direction 94. The index module 10 has a loading port 12 and an index frame 14. The loading port 12 is positioned between the opposite side of the process module 20 and the index frame 14. The container 80 containing the substrate W is placed in the loading port 12. A plurality of loading ports 12 may be provided, and the plurality of loading ports 12 may be provided along the second direction 94.

[0045] The container 80 may be a sealed container such as a front open unified pod (FOUP) and may be placed in the load port 12 by a worker or a transfer device (not shown) such as an overhead transfer, an overhead conveyor, or an automated guided vehicle.

[0046] The index robot 120 is provided at the index frame 14. A guide rail 140 (whose longitudinal direction is the second direction 94) is provided inside the index frame 14, and the index robot 120 may be provided to be movable on the guide rail 140. The index robot 120 includes a hand 122 on which the substrate W is placed, and the hand 122 may be provided to be movable forward and backward, rotatable about the third direction 96, and movable along the third direction 96. A plurality of hands 122 are provided to be spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction, and the hands 122 may be moved forward and backward independently of each other.

[0047] The processing module 20 includes a buffer unit 200, a transfer chamber 300, a liquid processing chamber 400, and a drying chamber 500. The buffer unit 200 provides a space where the substrate W loaded into the processing module 20 and the substrate W unloaded from the processing module 20 temporarily stay. The liquid processing chamber 400 performs a liquid processing process of liquid processing on the substrate W by supplying liquid onto the substrate W. The drying chamber 500 can perform a processing process of removing liquid remaining on the substrate W. The transfer chamber 300 transfers the substrate W between the buffer unit 200, the liquid processing chamber 400, and the drying chamber 500.

[0048] The longitudinal direction of the transfer chamber 300 may be set as a first direction 92. The buffer unit 200 may be disposed between the index module 10 and the transfer chamber 300. The liquid processing chamber 400 and the drying chamber 500 may be disposed on a side of the transfer chamber 300. The drying chamber 500 and the transfer chamber 300 may be disposed along a second direction 94. The drying chamber 500 and the transfer chamber 300 may be disposed along a second direction 94. The buffer unit 200 may be located at an end of the transfer chamber 300.

[0049] According to the embodiment, the liquid processing chamber 400 is disposed at both sides of the transfer chamber 300, the drying chamber 500 is disposed at both sides of the transfer chamber 300, and the liquid processing chamber 400 may be disposed at a position closer to the buffer unit 200 than the drying chamber 500. The liquid processing chamber 400 may be disposed at the side of the transfer chamber 300 in an array of A×B (each of A and B is a natural number of 1 or more) along the first direction 92 and the third direction 96, respectively. The drying chamber 500 may be disposed at the side of the transfer chamber 300 in the number of C×D (each of C and D is a natural number of 1 or more) along the first direction 92 and the third direction 96, respectively. Different from the above description, the liquid processing chamber 400 may be disposed only at the side of the transfer chamber 300, and the drying chamber 500 may be disposed only at the other side.

[0050] The transfer chamber 300 has a transfer robot 320. A guide rail 340 (whose longitudinal direction is the first direction 92) is provided in the transfer chamber 300, and the transfer robot 320 may be provided to be movable on the guide rail 340. The transfer robot 320 may include: a hand 322 on which the substrate W is placed; a shaft 323, which is coupled to the hand 322 and whose lower part is movably connected to the guide rail 340; and a support 324, which protrudes from the upper end of the shaft 323. In this case, the hand 322 may be provided to be rotatable around the third direction 96 and movable along the third direction 96. A plurality of hands 322 may be provided to be spaced apart from each other in the up-and-down directions, and the hands 322 may be able to move forward and backward independently of each other. The light source unit 610 to be described below may be coupled to the upper end of the support 324.

[0051] The buffer unit 200 has a plurality of buffer zones 220 on which the substrate W is placed. The buffer zones 220 may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other along the third direction 96. The front and rear of the buffer unit 200 are open. The front is a surface facing the index module 10, and the rear is a surface facing the transfer chamber 300. The index robot 120 can approach the buffer unit 200 through the front, and the transfer robot 320 can approach the buffer unit 200 through the rear.

[0052] Figure 2 To schematically show Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a diagram of an embodiment of a liquid processing chamber. Figure 2 The liquid processing chamber 400 includes a housing 410, a cup 420, a support unit 440, a liquid supply unit 460, and a lifting unit 480. The housing 410 is substantially in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. The cup 420, the support unit 440, and the liquid supply unit 460 are disposed in the housing 410.

[0053] The cup 420 has a processing space with an open top, and performs liquid processing on the substrate W in the processing space. The support unit 440 supports the substrate W in the processing space. The liquid supply unit 460 supplies liquid to the substrate W supported on the support unit 440. A plurality of processing liquids are provided and can be sequentially supplied to the substrate W. The lifting unit 480 adjusts the relative height between the cup 420 and the support unit 440.

[0054] According to an example, the cup 420 has a plurality of recovery baths 422, 424, and 426. Each of the recovery baths 422, 424, and 426 has a recovery space for recovering liquid used for processing the substrate. Each of the recovery baths 422, 424, and 426 is provided with a ring around the support unit 440. When the liquid processing process is performed, the processing liquid sputtered by the rotation of the substrate W flows into the recovery space through the inlets 422a, 424a, and 426a of the recovery baths 422, 424, and 426, respectively. According to an example, the cup 420 has a first recovery bath 422, a second recovery bath 424, and a third recovery bath 426. The first recovery bath 422 is provided to surround the support unit 440, the second recovery bath 424 is provided to surround the first recovery bath 422, and the third recovery bath 426 is provided to surround the second recovery bath 424. The second inlet 424a for supplying liquid to the second recovery tank 424 may be positioned higher than the first inlet 422a for supplying liquid to the first recovery tank 422, and the third inlet 426a for supplying liquid to the third recovery tank 426 may be positioned higher than the second inlet 424a.

[0055] The support unit 440 has a support plate 442 and a drive shaft 444. The upper surface of the support plate 442 is set to be roughly circular, and the diameter may be larger than the substrate W. The support pin 442a supporting the rear surface of the substrate W is arranged at the central portion of the support plate 442, and is arranged so that its upper end protrudes from the support plate 442 so that the substrate W is spaced a predetermined distance from the support plate 442. The chuck pin 442b is arranged on the edge portion of the support plate 442. The chuck pin 442b protrudes upward from the support plate 442 and supports the side of the substrate W, preventing the substrate W from being separated from the support unit 440 when the substrate W rotates. The drive shaft 444 driven by the driver 446 is connected to the center of the bottom side of the substrate W, and rotates the support plate 442 relative to its central axis.

[0056] According to the embodiment, the liquid supply unit 460 has a first nozzle 461, a second nozzle 462, and a third nozzle 463. The first nozzle 461 supplies a processing liquid to the substrate W. The processing liquid may be a liquid that removes a film or foreign matter remaining on the substrate W. The second nozzle 462 supplies a cleaning liquid to the substrate W. The cleaning liquid may be a cleaning liquid that dissolves well in a drying fluid. For example, the cleaning liquid may be a liquid that dissolves better in the drying fluid than the processing liquid. The cleaning liquid may be a liquid that neutralizes the processing liquid supplied to the substrate W. Further, the cleaning liquid may be a liquid that neutralizes the processing liquid and dissolves better in the drying fluid than the processing liquid. According to an example, the cleaning liquid may be deionized water. The third nozzle 463 supplies a drying fluid to the substrate W. The drying fluid may be a liquid that dissolves well in a supercritical fluid used in the drying chamber 500. For example, the drying fluid may be a liquid that dissolves more easily in a supercritical fluid used in the drying chamber 500 than the cleaning liquid. According to an example, the drying fluid may be an organic solvent. The organic solvent may be isopropyl alcohol. The first nozzle 461, the second nozzle 462, and the third nozzle 463 are supported by different arms 467, and the arms 467 are independently movable. Alternatively, the first nozzle 461, the second nozzle 462, and the third nozzle 463 may be mounted on the same arm and move simultaneously.

[0057] The lifting unit 480 moves the cup 420 in the up-down direction. The relative height between the cup 420 and the substrate W is changed by the up-down movement of the cup 420. Therefore, according to the kind of the processing liquid supplied to the substrate W, the recovery grooves 422, 424, 426 for recovering the liquid are changed, so that the processing liquid can be recovered respectively. Different from the above description, the cup 420 may be fixed, and the lifting unit 480 may move the support unit 440 in the up-down direction.

[0058] Figure 3 To schematically show Figure 15 is a diagram of an embodiment of a drying chamber of FIG. According to the embodiment, the drying chamber 500 removes liquid on the substrate W using a supercritical fluid. The drying chamber 500 has a body 520 , a support member 540 , a fluid supply unit 560 , and a baffle 580 .

[0059] The body 520 provides a processing space 502 in which a drying process is performed. The body 520 has an upper body 522 and a lower body 524, and the upper body 522 and the lower body 524 are combined with each other to provide the processing space 502. The upper body 522 is arranged above the lower body 524. The position of the upper body 522 can be fixed, and the lower body 524 can be moved up and down by an actuator 590 (such as a cylinder). When the lower body 524 is separated from the upper body 522, the processing space 502 is opened, and the substrate W is loaded or unloaded. When the process is performed, the lower body 524 is in close contact with the upper body 522, so that the processing space 502 is sealed from the outside. Further, a film 599 can be set in a local area of ​​either the upper body 522 and the lower body 524 of the body 520. In this configuration, the film 599 may be configured to reduce friction in a contact area between the upper body 522 and the lower body 524 , or to reduce friction on a clamp 591 that clamps the upper body 522 and the lower body 524 .

[0060] The drying chamber 500 has a heater 570. According to the embodiment, the heater 570 is positioned in the wall of the body 520. The heater 570 heats the processing space 502 of the body 520 so that the fluid supplied into the inner space of the body 520 maintains a supercritical state.

[0061] The support member 540 supports the substrate W in the processing space 502 of the body 520. The support member 540 has a fixing rod 542 and a retainer 544. The fixing rod 542 is fixedly mounted on the upper body 522 to protrude downward from the bottom side of the upper body 522. The longitudinal direction of the fixing rod 542 is set in the up-down direction. A plurality of fixing rods 542 are provided and positioned to be spaced apart from each other. The fixing rod 542 is arranged so that when the substrate W is loaded into the space surrounded by the fixing rod 542 or the substrate W is unloaded from the space surrounded by the fixing rod 542, the substrate W does not interfere with the fixing rod 542. The retainer 544 is coupled to the fixing rod 542. The retainer 544 extends from the lower end of the fixing rod 542 toward the space surrounded by the fixing rod 542. By the above structure, the edge area of ​​the substrate W loaded into the process space 502 of the main body 520 is placed on the retainer 544, and the entire top of the substrate W, the central area of ​​the bottom side of the substrate W, and a portion of the edge area of ​​the bottom side of the substrate W are exposed to the processing liquid supplied into the processing space 502.

[0062] The fluid supply unit 560 supplies a processing fluid into the processing space 502 of the body 520. According to an embodiment, as the processing fluid, carbon dioxide in a supercritical state is supplied into the processing space 502. Different from this, the processing fluid may be supplied to the processing space 502 in a gas state, and may be phase-changed to a supercritical state in the processing space 502. According to an example, the fluid supply unit 560 has a main supply line 562, an upper branch line 564, and a lower branch line 566. The upper branch line 564 and the lower branch line 566 are branched from the main supply line 562. The upper branch line 564 is coupled to the upper body 522, and the processing fluid is supplied from above the substrate W placed on the support member 540. According to an embodiment, the upper branch line 564 is coupled to the center of the upper body 522. The lower branch line 566 is coupled to the lower body 524, and the processing fluid is supplied from below the substrate W placed on the support member 540. According to an embodiment, the lower branch line 566 is coupled to the center of the lower body 524. The discharge line of the fluid discharge unit 550 is coupled to the lower body 524. The supercritical fluid in the processing space 502 of the body 520 is discharged to the outside of the body 520 through the discharge line of the fluid discharge unit 550.

[0063] The baffle 580 may be disposed in the inner space 502 of the body 520. The baffle 580 may be provided in a disc shape. The baffle 580 is supported by a support member 582 to be spaced upward from the bottom of the body 520. A plurality of support members 582 are provided in a rod shape, and the support members 582 are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. When viewed from above, the baffle 580 may be provided to overlap with the outlet of the lower branch line 566 and the inlet of the discharge line of the fluid discharge unit 550. The baffle 580 can prevent the processing fluid supplied through the lower branch line 566 from being directly discharged toward the substrate W and damaging the substrate W.

[0064] The control unit 30 controls the transfer robot 320 , the liquid processing chamber 400 , and the drying chamber 500 so that the substrate W is processed according to the substrate processing method.

[0065] Figure 4 This is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which the inspection unit performs inspection in a state in which the drying chamber is opened.

[0066] like Figure 4 As shown, the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention may further include an inspection unit 600 .

[0067] The inspection unit 600 is installed in the drying chamber 500 or the transfer chamber 300, and can inspect a state in the drying chamber 500. For example, the inspection unit 600 can inspect whether foreign matter remains in the drying chamber 500.

[0068] According to the embodiment, the inspection unit 600 may include a light source unit 610 , a camera 620 , and an image analyzer 630 .

[0069] The light source unit 610 is capable of emitting light into the drying chamber 500. The light source unit 610 is capable of emitting light using an LED light source. The light emitted from the light source unit 610 may be light having a wavelength band that enables the reflected light to be easily detected when the light propagates to a foreign object and is reflected. According to an embodiment, the light emitted from the light source unit 610 may be light in a visible light band or ultraviolet light. In this case, the light source unit 610 is capable of emitting light toward the drying chamber 500 in a direction in which the substrate W is loaded. Therefore, the light emitted from the light source unit 610 is capable of emitting light to foreign objects present in the loading and unloading paths of the substrate W. Further, the light source unit 610 may be mounted on the conveying robot 320. According to an embodiment, the light source unit 610 is coupled to the upper portion of the shaft of the conveying robot 320 and is capable of moving with the conveying robot 320.

[0070] The camera 620 can acquire image information by photographing the inside of the drying chamber 500. The camera 620 can obtain an image in a direction in which the substrate W is loaded toward the drying chamber 500. Therefore, the camera 620 can ensure image information of foreign matter in the loading path of the substrate W. Further, the camera 620 is coupled to the lower part of the shaft of the transfer robot 320 and can move together with the transfer robot 320.

[0071] The image analyzer 630 is capable of detecting whether there is a foreign object by visually inspecting the image information. In this case, the foreign object may be an object accidentally inserted into the drying chamber 500. For example, as described above, the film 599 coupled to the body 520 may be a foreign object, and in this case, the film 599 may be separated from the body and inserted into the drying chamber 500. Further, inorganic or organic particles may be foreign objects. Further, fragments of damaged substrates or fragments of components may be foreign objects. The image analyzer 630 may pre-store a reference image taken when there is no foreign object inside the drying chamber 500, and detect whether there is a foreign object by comparing the reference image with the obtained image information. In this case, the image analyzer 630 may have a deep learning model that is trained using image information obtained by photographing the inside of the drying chamber 500 when there is no foreign object in the drying chamber 500, and is capable of detecting foreign objects in the drying chamber 500 by comparing the image information learned and stored by the deep learning model with the image information input from the camera 620.

[0072] Further, when light is emitted from the light source unit 610 into the drying chamber 500 and a foreign object reflects the light, the image analyzer 630 acquires image information of the reflected light and analyzes the reflected light of the foreign object in the acquired image information, thereby being able to detect whether a foreign object exists. In this case, the components inside the drying chamber 500 may be made of a material having a low light reflectivity. Further, the camera 620 is able to acquire image information by photographing the inside of the drying chamber 500 at an angle of low light reflectivity.

[0073] Meanwhile, when it is determined by analyzing the image information that foreign matter is detected in the drying chamber 500, the image analyzer 630 can generate a detection notification signal and transmit the detection notification signal to the control unit 30. In this case, when the detection notification signal is received, the control unit 30 can control the transfer robot 320 so that the substrate W is not transferred to the drying chamber 500, and can issue an alarm to a worker to perform work to remove the foreign matter.

[0074] Hereinafter, a substrate processing method using the above-mentioned substrate processing apparatus will be described.

[0075] Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a substrate processing method. Figure 6 and Figure 7 To show that according to Figure 5 The sequence of the substrate processing method shown is a diagram showing the flow of the substrate conveyance path.

[0076] refer to Figure 5 The substrate processing method includes a substrate loading step S10, a liquid processing step S20, a liquid processed substrate replacing step S30, a pre-drying transfer step S40, a drying step S50, a post-drying substrate transfer step S60, a drying chamber inspection step S70, and a substrate discharge step S80.

[0077] In the substrate loading step S10, as Figure 6 As shown, the index robot 120 transfers the substrate W placed in the load port 12 to the buffer area 220 , and the transfer robot 320 transfers the substrate W placed on the buffer area 220 to the liquid processing chamber 400 .

[0078] The liquid processing step S20 is performed in the liquid processing chamber 400. In the liquid processing step S20, liquid is supplied to the substrate W, thereby performing liquid processing on the substrate W. According to the embodiment, in the liquid processing step S20, processing liquid, cleaning liquid and drying liquid are sequentially supplied to the substrate W, thereby processing the substrate W. The processing liquid may be a chemical including an acid or an alkali (such as sulfuric acid, nitric acid and hydrochloric acid), the cleaning liquid may be deionized water, and the drying liquid may be isopropanol. First, chemicals are supplied to the substrate W, thereby removing films, foreign matter, etc. remaining on the substrate W. Then, deionized water is supplied to the substrate W, thereby replacing the chemicals on the substrate W with deionized water. Then, isopropanol is supplied to the substrate W, thereby replacing the deionized water on the substrate W with isopropanol. Compared with chemicals, deionized water has good solubility in isopropanol and is therefore easily replaced. Further, the surface of the substrate W can be neutralized by deionized water. Since isopropyl alcohol is dissolved in carbon dioxide used in the drying chamber 500 , it is easily removed by the carbon dioxide, which is a processing fluid in the drying chamber 500 in a supercritical state.

[0079] In the liquid-processed substrate replacement step S30, the substrate W that has been liquid-processed in the liquid processing chamber 400 is unloaded to the transfer robot 320, and at the same time, another substrate W placed on the plurality of hands 322 is loaded into the liquid processing chamber 400. In this case, the above-described liquid processing step S20 can be performed on the substrate W loaded into the liquid processing chamber 400.

[0080] The pre-drying transfer step S40 is performed by the transfer robot 320. When the liquid processing in the liquid processing chamber 400 is finished, the pre-drying transfer step S40 of transferring the substrate W from the liquid processing chamber 400 to the drying chamber 500 is performed. In the case where the substrate W is transferred to the transfer robot 320, the liquid remains on the substrate W. Hereinafter, the liquid remaining on the substrate W in the case where the substrate W is transferred to the transfer robot 320 is referred to as the processing liquid. For example, in the above example, the processing liquid may be the drying liquid.

[0081] The drying step S50 is performed in the drying chamber 500. The substrate W loaded into the drying chamber 500 is supported on the support member 540, and the edge area is supported on the holder 544. Carbon dioxide is first supplied to the processing space 502 of the body 520 through the lower branch line 566. When the processing space 502 of the body 520 reaches a set pressure, carbon dioxide is supplied to the processing space 502 of the body 520 through the upper branch line 564. Selectively, when the processing space 502 of the body 520 reaches a set pressure, carbon dioxide may be simultaneously supplied to the processing space 502 of the body 520 through the upper branch line 564 and the lower branch line 566. When performing this process, the supply of carbon dioxide to the processing space 502 of the body 520 and the exhaust of carbon dioxide from the processing space 502 may be performed multiple times periodically. When the processing liquid remaining on the substrate W is dissolved in carbon dioxide (processing liquid in a supercritical state) in a predetermined amount, the carbon dioxide is exhausted from the processing space 502 and new carbon dioxide is supplied to the processing space 502, thereby improving the rate of removing the processing liquid from the substrate W.

[0082] In the post-drying substrate transfer step S60, as Figure 7 As shown, the transfer robot 320 discharges the dried substrate W to the transfer chamber 300 outside the drying chamber 500 .

[0083] The drying chamber inspection step S70 may be performed immediately after the dried substrate transfer step S60, or simultaneously with the dried substrate transfer step S60. Figure 4 As shown, the upper body 522 and the lower body 524 are spaced apart from each other and the processing space 502 is open. In this case, the light source unit 610 emits light into the drying chamber 500, the camera 620 acquires image information of the drying chamber 500, and the image analyzer 630 can check whether there is a foreign object by comparing the acquired image information with the pre-stored image information. As described above, the foreign object may be a particle or a film 599. In this case, the image analyzer 630 can detect whether a foreign object remains by analyzing the image information of the light reflected by the foreign object, or can detect the image information of the foreign object that is not allowed to exist in the image inside the drying chamber 500. In this case, when the particle is detected in the drying chamber inspection step S70, the image analyzer 630 transmits a detection alarm signal to the control unit 30, and the control unit 30 that receives the detection alarm signal can control the transfer robot 320 so that the substrate processed by the liquid in the liquid processing chamber 400 is not transferred to the drying chamber 500, and can issue an alarm to the worker to perform the work of removing the foreign object.

[0084] In the substrate discharging step S80, the transfer robot 320 can transfer the dried substrate W from the transfer chamber 300 to the buffer area 220 of the buffer unit 200, and the index robot 120 can discharge the substrate W located on the buffer area 220 to the load port 12. In this case, in the process of discharging the dried substrate from the buffer area 220, the transfer robot 320 can receive a new substrate W that should be liquid-processed and dried from the buffer area 220.

[0085] After that, the substrate processing method of the present invention is started again from the above-mentioned substrate loading step S10 in sequence. In this case, since the drying chamber inspection step S70 has been performed in the drying chamber 500 when the liquid processing is performed on the substrate in the liquid processing chamber 400, the pre-drying transfer step S40 and the drying step S50 can be immediately performed on the liquid-processed substrate W. Therefore, although the drying chamber inspection step S70 is additionally performed, the substrate processing method of the present invention can prevent the increase of the substrate processing time compared with the prior art.

[0086] As described above, the substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method according to the present invention can prevent poor processing of the substrate W because in the process of loading the liquid-processed substrate W with the processing liquid into the drying chamber 500 to dry the substrate W, it can be checked whether particles remain in the drying chamber 500.

[0087] Figure 8 FIG. 4 is a plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0088] like Figure 8 As shown, the light source unit 610 and the camera 620 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be disposed in various positions, such as being positioned around the drying chamber 500 or positioned in the drying chamber 500, instead of being coupled to the shaft of the transfer robot 320 as illustrated in the above embodiment.

[0089] Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0090] like Fig. 9As shown, the body 520 of the drying chamber may not be divided into an upper body and a lower body as in the above-described embodiment, and may include a box 528 having an insertion hole 528a, into which the substrate W is inserted from the side, and a drawer 527, into which the substrate W is placed on a workbench 527a. In this case, the inspection unit 600 may be configured as a type in which the light source unit 610 and the camera 620 are combined with the drawer 527. In this way, the body of the drying chamber 500 may be changed into various shapes, and the inspection unit 600 may also be coupled or disposed at various positions according to the shape of the drying chamber 500.

[0091] Above, although the present invention is described by specific matters (such as, specific components, etc.), embodiments and drawings, they are only used to help the overall understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. Those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs can make various modifications and changes according to this specification.

[0092] Therefore, the spirit of the present invention should not be limited to the above-described embodiments, and the following claims and all modifications that are the same or equivalent to the claims are intended to fall within the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A substrate processing device for processing a substrate, the substrate processing device comprising: a liquid processing chamber for performing liquid processing on a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the substrate; a drying chamber for drying the substrate; a transfer robot, the transfer robot transferring the substrate from the liquid processing chamber to the drying chamber; as well as An inspection unit inspects a state of the drying chamber.

2. The substrate processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The inspection unit includes a camera that obtains image information by photographing the interior of the drying chamber.

3. The substrate processing device according to claim 2, wherein: The inspection unit further includes a light source unit that emits light to a photographing area of ​​the camera in the drying chamber.

4. The substrate processing device according to claim 3, wherein: The light source unit emits light in the visible light or ultraviolet light band.

5. The substrate processing device according to claim 2, wherein: The state of the drying chamber includes a foreign matter state of the drying chamber.

6. The substrate processing device according to claim 2, wherein: The inspection unit includes an image analyzer that detects whether a foreign object exists based on the image information.

7. The substrate processing device according to claim 2, wherein: The drying chamber comprises: an upper body and a lower body, the upper body and the lower body being combined with each other to provide a processing space therein; and an actuator that changes the position between a state in which the processing space is closed and a state in which the processing space is opened by actuating the upper body or the lower body, and The control unit controls the transfer robot to check a state of the drying chamber when the drying chamber is opened.

8. The substrate processing device according to claim 2, wherein: A film is provided in a partial region of at least either the upper body or the lower body, and The camera checks the state of the film.

9. The substrate processing device according to claim 2, wherein: The inspection is performed while a substrate to be loaded into the drying chamber is processed in the liquid processing chamber.

10. The substrate processing device according to claim 3, wherein: The camera is mounted on the transfer robot.

11. The substrate processing device according to claim 10, wherein: The substrate processing device further comprises: axis; a hand mounted on the shaft so as to be movable forward and backward; and a support coupled to an upper end of the shaft, and The camera is coupled to the shaft, and the light source unit is coupled to the support.

12. The substrate processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit, wherein the control unit controls the conveying robot. in, The control unit controls whether to load the substrate liquid-processed in the liquid processing chamber into the drying chamber based on a result of inspection by the inspection unit.

13. The substrate processing device according to claim 12, wherein: The control unit controls the transfer robot so as not to transfer the substrate to the drying chamber when a foreign object is detected in the drying chamber.

14. A substrate processing method for processing a substrate, the substrate processing method comprising: performing liquid processing on a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the substrate, and loading the liquid-processed substrate into a drying chamber and drying it, and A state of the drying chamber is checked before loading a liquid-processed substrate into the drying chamber, and whether to load the substrate into the drying chamber is determined based on a result of the check.

15. The substrate processing method according to claim 14, wherein: The state of the drying chamber includes a foreign matter state of the drying chamber.

16. The substrate processing method according to claim 14, wherein: The inspection of the state of the drying chamber is performed while the liquid processing is being performed.

17. The substrate processing method according to claim 14, wherein: The state of the drying chamber is inspected by photographing the interior of the drying chamber using a camera to obtain an image, and analyzing the obtained image.

18. The substrate processing method according to claim 17, wherein: The camera is mounted on a transfer robot that transfers the substrate from the liquid processing chamber to the drying chamber.

19. The substrate processing method according to claim 17, wherein: When the camera photographs the drying chamber, ultraviolet light or visible light is emitted to the photographing area.

20. A substrate processing device for processing a substrate, the substrate processing device comprising: a liquid processing chamber for performing liquid processing on the substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the substrate; a drying chamber that dries the substrate and includes an upper body and a lower body that provide a processing space therein by being combined with each other, and an actuator that changes a position between a state in which the processing space is closed and a state in which the processing space is opened by actuating the upper body or the lower body; a membrane disposed in a partial region of at least either the upper body or the lower body; a transfer robot, the transfer robot transferring the substrate from the liquid processing chamber to the drying chamber; a control unit that controls the transfer robot to check a state of the drying chamber when the drying chamber is opened; as well as an inspection unit, the inspection unit inspecting the foreign matter status of the drying chamber, Wherein, the inspection unit comprises: a camera that obtains image information and checks the state of the film by photographing the interior of the drying chamber, and that is mounted on the transfer robot; a light source unit that emits light in the visible or ultraviolet band toward a photographing area of ​​a camera in the drying chamber and is mounted on the transfer robot; and An image analyzer detects the presence or absence of foreign matter from the image information and performs inspection when a substrate to be loaded into the drying chamber is processed in the liquid processing chamber.

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