Substrate processing apparatus

By setting up multiple loading ports, conveying robots, and measurement components within the substrate processing apparatus, and optimizing the substrate conveying and measurement process using horizontal and vertical moving mechanisms, the problem of difficulty in increasing wafer productivity without increasing the occupied area in the prior art is solved, and efficient production of the substrate processing apparatus is achieved.

CN121729048APending Publication Date: 2026-03-24EBARA CORP
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2025-09-17
Publication Date
2026-03-24

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Abstract

Provided is a substrate processing apparatus capable of optimizing a measurement process. The substrate processing apparatus includes: a mounting / dismounting unit in which a plurality of mounting ports are laterally arranged adjacent to a front-side outer wall of a housing; and an upper layer measurement module and a lower layer measurement module which are connected to the front surface side outer wall, are adjacent to the side surface side outer wall of the housing, are arranged side by side in the vertical direction, and are used for measuring the surface state of the substrate.
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Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a substrate processing apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the production of semiconductor devices, a plurality of kinds of materials are repeatedly formed in a film shape over a wafer, forming a stacked structure. In order to form the stacked structure, a technique of making the surface of the wafer flat becomes important. As one means of planarizing the surface of such a wafer, a polishing apparatus that performs chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is used.

[0003] Generally, the polishing apparatus is provided with a polishing table on which a polishing pad is mounted, a polishing head that presses a wafer against the polishing pad on the polishing table, and a nozzle that supplies a polishing liquid to the polishing pad. While the polishing liquid is supplied from the nozzle to the polishing pad, the wafer is pressed against the polishing pad by the polishing head, and the polishing head and the polishing pad are relatively moved, thereby polishing the wafer.

[0004] The substrate processing apparatus is an apparatus that has a polishing assembly that performs chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) as described above, a cleaning assembly that cleans the wafer after polishing, and a drying assembly that dries the wafer that is cleaned. The wafer that is polished by the polishing assembly is transported to the cleaning assembly and the drying assembly by a transport robot, and is cleaned and dried by the cleaning assembly and the drying assembly.

[0005] PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

[0006] PATENT DOCUMENTS

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2005-347568

[0008] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2008-141186

[0009] PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0010] In recent years, with the high productivity of the substrate processing apparatus, optimization of each process (i.e., improvement of the productivity of the wafer without expanding the size of the occupied area of the substrate processing apparatus as necessary) is performed. In particular, optimization of the measurement process using a measurer for measuring the film thickness and cleanliness of the wafer is required.

[0011] In order to improve the productivity of the wafer, it is preferable to arrange a plurality of measurers, but even in this case, it is necessary to improve the productivity of the wafer without expanding the size of the occupied area of the substrate processing apparatus as necessary. SUMMARY

[0012] Therefore, an object of the present application is to provide a substrate processing apparatus that enables optimization of the measurement process.

[0013] Technical means for solving technical problems

[0014] In one embodiment, a substrate processing apparatus is provided. The substrate processing apparatus includes a polishing assembly that polishes a substrate, a cleaning assembly that cleans the substrate, a drying assembly that dries the substrate after cleaning, a plurality of load ports that receive a transport container that holds the substrate, at least one transport robot disposed within a housing that transports the substrate to the polishing assembly before polishing and transports the substrate dried by the drying assembly to the transport container, a loading and unloading section that laterally arranges the plurality of load ports adjacent to a front side outer wall of the housing, and an upper measurement assembly and a lower measurement assembly that are connected to the front side outer wall, arranged adjacent to a side side outer wall of the housing in a vertical direction, and measure a surface state of the substrate.

[0015] In one embodiment, at least one of the upper measurement assembly and the lower measurement assembly includes a measurement unit that measures a surface state of the substrate before polishing and / or a surface state of the substrate after polishing.

[0016] In one embodiment, when one of the upper measurement assembly and the lower measurement assembly includes the measurement unit, the other of the upper measurement assembly and the lower measurement assembly includes at least a control unit that controls an operation of the measurement unit and acquires data measured by the measurement unit.

[0017] In one embodiment, when the upper measurement assembly includes the measurement unit and the control unit, the measurement unit of the upper measurement assembly is disposed below the control unit, and when the lower measurement assembly includes the measurement unit and the control unit, the measurement unit of the lower measurement assembly is disposed above the control unit.

[0018] In one embodiment, when the upper measurement assembly and the lower measurement assembly each include the measurement unit, the measurement unit of the upper measurement assembly and the measurement unit of the lower measurement assembly are disposed adjacent to each other.

[0019] In one embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus includes a horizontal movement mechanism and an up-and-down movement mechanism that move the transport robot between a substrate transport position for transporting the substrate in the transport container to the polishing assembly, a substrate receiving position that receives the substrate dried by the drying assembly, and the upper measurement assembly and the lower measurement assembly.

[0020] In one embodiment, the horizontal moving mechanism has a length corresponding to a distance of an area where the plurality of load ports are arranged, and the up-and-down moving mechanism has a length corresponding to a distance between the plurality of load ports and the substrate conveying position and the substrate receiving position.

[0021] In one embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus includes a housing frame that houses the lower measurement assembly, the housing frame forming a gap with the housing and being adjacent to the housing.

[0022] In one embodiment, the upper measurement assembly is placed on the housing frame.

[0023] In one embodiment, the upper measurement assembly and the lower measurement assembly are each adjacent to the housing via an elastic seal provided between the upper measurement assembly and the lower measurement assembly and the housing.

[0024] Effects of the Invention

[0025] The substrate processing apparatus includes an upper measurement assembly and a lower measurement assembly arranged in a vertical direction. With this arrangement, the substrate processing apparatus can improve the productivity of substrates without expanding the size of its footprint beyond necessity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus.

[0027] Figure 2 is a side view of the substrate processing apparatus shown in Figure 1

[0028] Figure 3 is a plan view of the substrate processing apparatus shown in Figure 1

[0029] Figure 4 is a view showing one embodiment of a measurement unit.

[0030] Figure 5 is a view showing a housing frame that houses a lower measurement assembly.

[0031] Figure 6 is a view showing a housing frame that is arranged to form a gap with a housing.

[0032] Figure 7 is a view showing an elastic seal provided between a measurement unit and a housing.

[0033] Figure 8 (a) to (c) of Figure 8 ​​(f) is a view showing an example of the configuration of the control section and / or the measurement section of each of the upper measurement assembly and the lower measurement assembly.

[0034] Figure 9 is a view showing a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses each of which is provided with a measurement unit (i.e., an upper measurement assembly and a lower measurement assembly) disposed on the side of a housing.

[0035] Figure 10 is a view showing a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses each of which is provided with a measurement assembly disposed on both sides of a housing.

[0036] Figure 11 is a view showing another embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus.

[0037] Figure 12 is a view showing another embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus.

[0038] Figure 13 is a view showing an example of a processing flow of a substrate in the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment described with reference to Figures 1 to 9

[0039] Figure 14 is a view showing an example of a processing flow of a substrate in the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment described with reference to Figures 1 to 9

[0040] Figure 15 is a view showing an example of a processing flow of a substrate in the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment described with reference to Figures 1 to 9

[0041] Figure 16 is a view showing an example of a processing flow of a substrate in the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment described with reference to Figures 1 to 9

[0042] Figure 17 is a view showing an example of a processing flow of a substrate in the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment described with reference to Figures 1 to 9

[0043] Symbol Explanation

[0044] ​​​​​1A, 1B, 1C, 1D Grinding assemblies; 5 Lifting conveyor; 6 Relay conveyor; 7, 8, 9, 10 Cleaning assemblies; 11 Drying assembly; 14 Substrate conveying device; 15 Motion control unit; 15a Storage device; 15b Calculation unit; 16 Wall; 17 Lifting conveying area; 20 Grinding pad; 21 Grinding table; 22 Grinding table motor; 24 Grinding slurry supply nozzle; 25 Grinding head; 28 Head arm; 29 Support shaft; 33 Substrate loader; 40 Holding hand; 50 Loading and unloading unit; 53 Box loader (loading port); 55 Conveying robot; 56 Horizontal movement mechanism; 57 Vertical movement mechanism; 60 Holding hand; 71. Substrate stage; 72. Moving mechanism; 100. Storage device (transfer container); 101. First processing unit; 102. Second processing unit; 200. Measuring unit; 201. Substrate transport position; 202. Substrate receiving position; 301. Reception frame; P1. First position; P2. Second position; P3. Third position; P4. Fourth position; PL. Housing; PL1. First outer wall (front side outer wall); PL2. Second outer wall (side side outer wall); D1. Control unit; D2. Measuring unit; UC. Upper reception space; LC. Lower reception space; FL. Floor; G. Gap; SL. Elastic seal; ML. Upper measuring assembly, lower measuring assembly. Detailed Implementation

[0045] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, in the drawings described below, the same or equivalent constituent elements are labeled with the same symbols, and repeated descriptions are omitted. In the various embodiments described below, the structure of one embodiment is the same as the other embodiments unless otherwise specified, and therefore repeated descriptions of that embodiment are omitted.

[0046] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus. Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Side view of the substrate processing apparatus shown. Figure 3 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows a top view of the substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus has a first processing unit 101 and a second processing unit 102 for processing a substrate W.

[0047] The processing of substrate W includes grinding, cleaning, and drying of substrate W. The first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102 are arranged side-by-side. Specific examples of substrate W include wafers, circular substrates, square substrates, and panels used in semiconductor devices. In the embodiment described below, a circular wafer is used as substrate W.

[0048] Since the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102 have the same constituent elements, the first processing unit 101 will be described below. The following description also applies to the second processing unit 102.

[0049] The first processing unit 101 has a plurality of polishing assemblies 1A, 1B that polish the substrate W, a plurality of cleaning assemblies 7, 8, 9, 10 that clean the substrate W, a drying assembly 11 that dries the cleaned substrate W, a substrate transport device 14 that extends from one side of the first processing unit 101 to the opposite side, and a lift transport device 5 that transports the substrate W from the substrate transport device 14 to each of the polishing assemblies 1A, 1B and from each of the polishing assemblies 1A, 1B to the plurality of cleaning assemblies 7, 8, 9. The lift transport device 5 is configured to transport the substrate W between the cleaning assemblies 7, 8, 9, 10.

[0050] The first processing unit 101 also has a relay transport device 6 that is configured to transport the substrate W from the cleaning assembly 10 to the drying assembly 11 and from the drying assembly 11 to the substrate transport device 14. The relay transport device 6 of the first processing unit 101 is configured to transport the substrate W between the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102. The substrate processing apparatus has an operation control section 15 that controls the operation of the above-described components of the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 1, the polishing assemblies 1A, 1B, the lift transport device 5, the relay transport device 6, the cleaning assemblies 7, 8, 9, 10, and the drying assembly 11 are surrounded by a wall (housing) 16, and the cleanliness is controlled so that air inside the wall 16 does not spread to other areas. Figure 3 The substrate W is transported through an opening (provided with an opening and closing body) provided in the wall (housing) 16. In particular, the polishing assemblies 1A, 1B and the cleaning assemblies 7, 8, 9, 10 are separated by a lift transport area 17 having the lift transport device 5 inside. The lift transport area 17 is formed by the wall (housing) 16. In

[0052] and Figure 1 In FIGS. 1 and 2, detailed illustrations of the wall (housing) 16 are omitted. Figure 2 The first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102 are each a unitized assembly. In one embodiment, the second processing unit 102 is connected to the first processing unit 101 in a detachable manner, and the entire second processing unit 102 can be separated from the first processing unit 101.

[0053] In addition, one or more additional processing units having the same structure can be connected to the second processing unit 102. That is, three or more processing units including the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102 can be connected in series.

[0054]

[0055] ​The actions of the plurality of processing units including the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102 are controlled by the action control section 15. The action control section 15 is provided with a storage device 15a that stores a program and an arithmetic device 15b that performs an operation according to a command included in the program.

[0056] The action control section 15 is constituted by at least one computer. The storage device 15a is provided with a main storage device such as a random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), and the like. As examples of the arithmetic device 15b, a CPU (central processing device), a GPU (graphics processing unit) can be cited. However, the specific structure of the action control section 15 is not limited to these examples.

[0057] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the first processing unit 101 is provided with the polishing assembly 1A and the polishing assembly 1B. In another embodiment, the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102 can each be provided with a single polishing assembly. In another embodiment, the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102 can each be provided with three or more polishing assemblies. Figures 1 to 3 In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the first processing unit 101 is provided with the polishing assembly 1A and the polishing assembly 1B. In another embodiment, the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102 can each be provided with a single polishing assembly. In another embodiment, the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102 can each be provided with three or more polishing assemblies. The substrate transport device 14 is disposed at a position higher than the polishing assemblies 1A, 1B, the cleaning assemblies 7, 8, 9, 10, and the drying assembly 11. In the present embodiment, the substrate transport device 14 is disposed above the cleaning assemblies 7, 8, 9, 10 and the drying assembly 11.

[0058] The lift transport device 5 is provided with a holding hand 40 that can reach the substrate transport device 14, the polishing assemblies 1A, 1B, the cleaning assemblies 7, 8, 9, 10. As indicated by the arrow in FIG. 2, the holding hand 40 can move up and down. Figure 1 The relay transport device 6 of the first processing unit 101 is provided with a holding hand 60 that can reach the polishing assembly 1B, the cleaning assembly 10, the drying assembly 11, the substrate transport device 14 of the first processing unit 101, and the substrate transport device 14, the polishing assembly 1C, the cleaning assemblies 7, 8 of the second processing unit 102. As indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3, the holding hand 60 can move up and down. Figure 1 The relay transport device 6 of the first processing unit 101 is provided with a holding hand 60 that can reach the polishing assembly 1B, the cleaning assembly 10, the drying assembly 11, the substrate transport device 14 of the first processing unit 101, and the substrate transport device 14, the polishing assembly 1C, the cleaning assemblies 7, 8 of the second processing unit 102. As indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3, the holding hand 60 can move up and down.

[0059] The substrate W to be polished is transported by the substrate transport device 14 of the first processing unit 101 in a state in which the polished surface of the substrate W faces upward. The lift transport device 5 of the first processing unit 101 is raised to the substrate transport device 14, and the substrate W is taken out from the substrate transport device 14.

[0060] Further, the lift transport device 5 inverts the substrate W in such a manner that the polished surface of the substrate W faces downward, and then hands over the substrate W to either one of the polishing assemblies 1A, 1B. The substrate W is polished by either one or both of the polishing assemblies 1A and 1B. The transport of the substrate W between the polishing assemblies 1A, 1B is performed by the lift transport device 5.

[0061] Since the two polishing assemblies 1A, 1B have the same components, the following describes the polishing assembly 1A. Although detailed descriptions are omitted, the polishing assemblies 1C, 1D of the second processing unit 102 also have the same components.

[0062] The polishing assembly 1A has a polishing table 21 that supports a polishing pad 20, a polishing table motor 22 that rotates the polishing table 21, a polishing liquid supply nozzle 24 that supplies a polishing liquid to the polishing pad 20, two polishing heads 25, 25 that press the substrate W against the polishing pad 20 to polish the substrate W, and a polishing head motor (not shown) that rotates the polishing heads 25, 25 about their shafts.

[0063] The two polishing heads 25, 25 are rotatably supported by a head arm 28 in which the polishing head motor is disposed. The central portion of the head arm 28 is supported by a support shaft 29.

[0064] The polishing assembly 1A also has a substrate loader 33 that receives the substrate W from the lift conveyer 5 and hands over the substrate W to one of the two polishing heads 25, 25. The substrate loader 33 is disposed outside the polishing table 21. The lift conveyer 5 inverts the substrate W so that the polishing surface of the substrate W faces downward and hands over the substrate W to the substrate loader 33 in the state that the polishing surface of the substrate W faces downward.

[0065] The polishing assembly 1A also has an arm rotation motor (not shown) that rotates the head arm 28 and the two polishing heads 25, 25 about the support shaft 29. The arm rotation motor is disposed in the head arm 28 or the support shaft 29. When the head arm 28 is rotated by the arm rotation motor by an angle of 180 degrees, one of the two polishing heads 25, 25 moves to a position above the polishing pad 20 and the other polishing head 25 moves to a position above the substrate loader 33.

[0066] The substrate loader 33 is configured to lift the substrate W and hand over the substrate W to the polishing head 25 located outside the polishing table 21. The polishing heads 25, 25 are configured to be able to hold the substrate W by vacuum suction at the lower surfaces thereof. In one embodiment, one or both of the polishing assemblies 1A, 1B can have a separate polishing head 25.

[0067] Polishing of the substrate W is performed as follows. When the substrate W to be polished is held by the polishing head 25, the head arm 28 is rotated by 180 degrees and the polishing head 25 moves to a position above the polishing pad 20 together with the substrate W. The polishing table 21 and the polishing pad 20 are rotated by the polishing table motor 22 and a polishing liquid (typically slurry) is supplied from the polishing liquid supply nozzle 24 to the polishing pad 20.

[0068] The polishing head 25 rotates via a polishing head motor (not shown) disposed within the head arm 28, simultaneously pressing the lower surface (surface to be polished) of the substrate W against the polishing pad 20. The lower surface of the substrate W is polished by a combination of the chemical action of the polishing slurry and the mechanical action of the abrasive particles contained in the polishing slurry and / or the polishing pad 20. The polishing assemblies 1A and 1B of this embodiment are chemical mechanical polishing apparatuses (CMP apparatuses) for performing chemical mechanical polishing on the substrate W.

[0069] When the grinding of substrate W is completed, head arm 28 rotates 180 degrees, and grinding head 25 moves together with the substrate W to a position above substrate loader 33. Grinding head 25 releases substrate W, and substrate W is placed on substrate loader 33. Holding hand 40 of lifting conveyor 5 removes substrate W from substrate loader 33 and moves substrate W into any one of the multiple cleaning components 7-10.

[0070] In this embodiment, since the polishing assembly 1A has two polishing heads 25, 25, during the period when one polishing head 25 is in a position above the polishing pad 20 or during the polishing of the substrate W, the other polishing head 25 releases the substrate W, thus holding the substrate to be polished next.

[0071] The plurality of cleaning components 7, 8, 9, and 10 in this embodiment include a cleaning component 7 used as a pre-cleaning component or a post-cleaning component, and a plurality of ( ) used as post-cleaning components. Figure 1 There are three cleaning components (8, 9, and 10). The front cleaning component is used to clean the substrate W before it is polished by the polishing components 1A and 1B, and the rear cleaning component is used to clean the substrate W after it has been polished by the polishing components 1A and 1B.

[0072] Cleaning components 7 and 8 are arranged longitudinally, as are cleaning components 9, 10, and 11. The groups of cleaning components 7 and 8 are configured separately from the groups of cleaning components 9, 10, and 11. Cleaning component 7 is positioned above cleaning component 8. Drying component 11 is positioned above cleaning component 10, and cleaning component 10 is positioned above cleaning component 9.

[0073] The types of the four cleaning components 7, 8, 9, and 10 are not particularly limited. In one example, cleaning component 7 is a polishing cleaning device or a sponge scrubbing device, cleaning components 8 and 9 are sponge scrubbing devices, and cleaning component 10 is a two-fluid jet cleaning device.

[0074] The cleaning device of the cleaning assembly 7, 8, 9, 10 can use a publicly known structure. The type of the drying assembly 11 is not particularly limited either. For example, the drying assembly 11 can also be an IPA drying device that sprays isopropyl alcohol vapor toward the substrate W to dry the substrate W, or can also be a spin drying device that removes liquid from the substrate W by high-speed rotation of the substrate W.

[0075] The operation of the lift transport device 5 is switched between a pre-cleaning mode in which the substrate W is transported to the cleaning assembly 7 before being transported to the polishing assembly 1A or the polishing assembly 1B and a post-cleaning mode in which the substrate W is transported to the cleaning assembly 7 after being taken out from the polishing assembly 1A or the polishing assembly 1B.

[0076] In the pre-cleaning mode, the cleaning assembly 7 operates as a pre-cleaning assembly. That is, the operation control section 15 gives an instruction to the lift transport device 5 to transport the substrate W from the substrate transport device 14 to the cleaning assembly 7 before being transported to the polishing assembly 1A or the polishing assembly 1B. The cleaning assembly 7 as the pre-cleaning assembly cleans the substrate W before polishing.

[0077] In the post-cleaning mode, the cleaning assembly 7 operates as a post-cleaning assembly. That is, the operation control section 15 gives an instruction to the lift transport device 5 to transport the substrate W from the polishing assembly 1A or the polishing assembly 1B to the cleaning assembly 7. The cleaning assembly 7 as the post-cleaning assembly cleans the substrate W after polishing.

[0078] In the pre-cleaning mode, the substrate W after polishing is transported in the order of the cleaning assembly 8, the cleaning assembly 9, and the cleaning assembly 10 and cleaned by these cleaning assemblies 8, 9, 10. In the post-cleaning mode, the substrate W after polishing is transported in the order of the cleaning assembly 7, the cleaning assembly 8, the cleaning assembly 9, and the cleaning assembly 10 and cleaned by these cleaning assemblies 7, 8, 9, 10.

[0079] In the present embodiment, the lift transport device 5 is configured to be able to reach the cleaning assemblies 7, 8, 9, 10, and the relay transport device 6 is configured to be able to reach the cleaning assembly 10 and the drying assembly 11. Therefore, the lift transport device 5 transports the substrate W after polishing, which is low in cleanliness (i.e., to which the polishing liquid and the polishing debris are attached), and the relay transport device 6 transports the substrate W after cleaning, which is high in cleanliness. Further, by using two transport devices, i.e., the lift transport device 5 and the relay transport device 6, it is possible to prevent the transport of the substrate from becoming speed-limited and to continuously process a plurality of substrates.

[0080] In one embodiment, the lift transport device 5 has two holding hands 40 arranged above and below and operated independently of each other, and the relay transport device 6 has two holding hands 60 arranged above and below and operated independently of each other.

[0081] For example, the lower holding hand 40 can transport a wet substrate, and the upper holding hand 40 can transport a dry substrate. Similarly, the lower holding hand 60 can transport a wet substrate, and the upper holding hand 60 can transport a dry substrate.

[0082] In one embodiment, the lifting conveyor 5 may be configured to reach all the cleaning components 7, 8, 9, 10 and the drying component 11. In this case, the lifting conveyor 5 performs the loading and unloading of the substrate W into and out of the cleaning components 7, 8, 9, 10 and the drying component 11.

[0083] The substrate transport device 14 has a substrate stage 71 that supports the substrate W and a stage moving mechanism 72 that moves the substrate stage 71 horizontally. The substrate stage 71 is connected to the stage moving mechanism 72. The stage moving mechanism 72 extends horizontally from one side of the first processing unit 101 to the opposite side.

[0084] More specifically, the table moving mechanism 72 extends along the width direction of the first processing unit 101 and is disposed above the cleaning components 7, 8, 9, 10 and the drying component 11. The substrate conveying device 14 of this embodiment is a linear transport device that moves the substrate W in a straight line.

[0085] The stage moving mechanism 72 is configured to stop the substrate stage 71 at a first position P1, a second position P2, and a third position P3. The first position P1 is located on one side of the first processing unit 101, and the second position P2 is located on the opposite side of the first processing unit 101. The third position P3 is located between the first position P1 and the second position P2.

[0086] More specifically, the first position P1 is located above the cleaning components 7 and 8, the second position P2 is located above the cleaning components 9 and 10 and the drying component 11. The third position P3 is located between the group of cleaning components 7 and 8 and the group of cleaning components 9, 10 and the drying component 11.

[0087] The substrate processing apparatus has a loading / unloading section 50 adjacent to the first processing unit 101. For example... Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the loading and unloading unit 50 also includes: a box loader (in other words, a loading port) 53, which holds a box storage device (i.e., a conveying container) 100 containing a plurality of substrates W; and a conveying robot 55, which takes a substrate W to be ground from the box storage device 100 and hands it over to the substrate conveying device 14.

[0088] The conveying robot 55 is housed within a housing PL consisting of multiple outer walls (see reference). Figure 3The conveying robot 55 is positioned between the box loader 53 and the substrate conveying device 14. In this embodiment, one conveying robot 55 is provided, but the number of conveying robots 55 is not limited to this embodiment. In one embodiment, two or more conveying robots 55 may also be provided.

[0089] In this embodiment, a plurality of (more specifically, four) box loaders 53 are configured. These plurality of box loaders 53 are arranged laterally adjacent to the first outer wall (in other words, the front side outer wall) PL1 of the housing PL.

[0090] The substrate processing apparatus also includes a horizontal movement mechanism 56 and a vertical movement mechanism 57 for moving the conveying robot 55 in the horizontal and vertical directions. The vertical movement mechanism 57 is configured to move the conveying robot 55 up and down between the cassette storage device 100 and the substrate conveying device 14. That is, the conveying robot 55 takes a substrate W to be ground from the cassette storage device 100, rises to the substrate conveying device 14 via the vertical movement mechanism 57, and places the substrate W on the substrate stage 71 of the substrate conveying device 14 of the first processing unit 101.

[0091] Then, the substrate W, which has been processed (polished, cleaned, dried) by at least one of the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102, is taken out from the substrate stage 71 of the substrate transport device 14 of the first processing unit 101 by the transport robot 55. The transport robot 55 and the processed substrate W are lowered together by the up-down moving mechanism 57, so that the processed substrate W is returned to the box storage device 100.

[0092] Grinding heads 25, 25 are suspended from a frame not shown. More specifically, a support shaft 29 extends downward from the frame not shown, and a head arm 28 is rotatably supported on the lower part of the support shaft 29. An arm rotation motor (not shown) is provided on the head arm 28 or the support shaft 29 to rotate the head arm 28 and the two grinding heads 25, 25 about the support shaft 29. Grinding assembly 1B also has the same structure.

[0093] The substrate processing apparatus includes a measurement unit 200 for measuring the surface condition of the substrate W (e.g., the film thickness formed on the surface of the substrate W, the cleanliness of the surface of the substrate W) before and / or after polishing. Figure 1 and Figure 3 ).

[0094] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of the measuring unit. (For example...) Figure 4 As shown, the measurement unit 200 has an upper measurement component ML and a lower measurement component ML that have substantially the same structure. The upper measurement component ML and the lower measurement component ML are respectively configured to measure the surface state of the substrate W.

[0095] The upper measuring component ML and the lower measuring component ML are adjacent to the second outer wall (in other words, the side outer wall) PL2 of the first outer wall PL1 of the housing PL, and are arranged vertically. When the housing PL is viewed from above, the first outer wall PL1 and the second outer wall PL2 extend perpendicularly to each other. The plurality of box storage devices 100 (or box loaders 53) adjacent to the first outer wall PL1 and the plurality of measuring components ML adjacent to the second outer wall PL2 are arranged orthogonally to each other.

[0096] like Figure 4 As shown, the conveying robot 55 is configured to move in the vertical and horizontal directions via the horizontal moving mechanism 56 and the vertical moving mechanism 57. More specifically, the conveying robot 55 is configured to move between the substrate conveying position 201 for conveying the substrate W in the box storage device 100 to the polishing assembly 1A-1D, the substrate receiving position 202 for receiving the substrate W dried by the drying assembly 11, and the measuring unit 200 by actuating the horizontal moving mechanism 56 and the vertical moving mechanism 57.

[0097] The horizontal moving mechanism 56 has a length equivalent to the distance of the area where a plurality of box storage devices 100 (or a plurality of box loaders 53) are arranged laterally, the distance being equivalent to the distance between the two box storage devices 100 located on the outermost side of the plurality of box storage devices 100. The horizontal moving mechanism 56 is capable of reaching each of the plurality of box storage devices 100.

[0098] The up-down moving mechanism 57 has a length equivalent to the distance between the cassette storage device 100 and the substrate transport position 201 and the substrate receiving position 202, and is able to reach the cassette storage device 100, the substrate transport position 201 and the substrate receiving position 202.

[0099] The substrate transport position 201 and the substrate receiving position 202 are located on the upper part of the housing PL (i.e., above the box storage device 100) and are adjacent to each other. These substrate transport positions 201 and substrate receiving positions 202 are positions that can be reached by the substrate transport device 14, and the transport robot 55 can transfer the substrate W between itself and the substrate transport device 14 via the substrate transport positions 201 and substrate receiving positions 202.

[0100] In this embodiment, by placing the measuring unit 200 to the side of the loading and unloading section 50, the conveying robot 55 can quickly convey the substrate W to the measuring unit 200 before and / or after the grinding process begins.

[0101] The measuring unit 200 is disposed in the side area of ​​the loading / unloading section 50, but not in the side areas of the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102 (see reference). Figure 3With this configuration, operators can perform maintenance on the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102 without being obstructed by the measuring unit 200.

[0102] To prevent contamination of the substrate W, it is preferable to minimize the transport time of the substrate W. In this embodiment, the transport robot 55 can quickly reach the cassette storage device 100 and the measurement unit 200, which are arranged close to each other. Moreover, by arranging the substrate transport position 201 and the substrate receiving position 202 adjacent to the measurement unit 200 and the cassette storage device 100, the transport robot 55 can quickly transfer the substrate W.

[0103] exist Figure 4 In the embodiment shown, the upper measurement component ML and the lower measurement component ML each have a measurement unit D2 for measuring the surface state of the substrate W before grinding and / or the surface state of the substrate W after grinding, and a control unit D1 for controlling the operation of the measurement unit D2 and acquiring the data (measurement data) measured by the measurement unit D2.

[0104] The measurement unit D2 is a stand-alone measurement device that measures the surface condition of the substrate W while the substrate W is stationary. The measurement unit D2 is, for example, a film thickness measuring instrument (such as an ITM (In-line Thickness Monitor)) that measures the film thickness profile of the substrate W, or a measuring instrument (particle analyzer, particle counter) that measures the number of particles on the surface of the substrate W.

[0105] The control unit D1 is electrically connected to the measurement unit D2. Therefore, the control unit D1 can also create the outline of the surface state of the substrate W based on the data measured by the measurement unit D2.

[0106] Control unit D1 is also connected to motion control unit 15 (see reference). Figure 1 Electrical connection. Therefore, the control unit D1 sends the data measured by the measurement unit D2 to the motion control unit 15, and the motion control unit 15 can control the operation of the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102 according to the data sent from the control unit D1.

[0107] The upper-layer measurement component ML and the lower-layer measurement component ML each have an upper containment space UC and a lower containment space LC, respectively. In the lower-layer measurement component ML, the lower containment space LC contains a containment control unit D1, and the upper containment space UC contains a measurement unit D2. In the upper-layer measurement component ML, the lower containment space LC contains a measurement unit D2, and the upper containment space UC contains a containment control unit D1.

[0108] In the upper measurement assembly ML, the measuring unit D2 is positioned below the control unit D1. In the lower measurement assembly ML, the measuring unit D2 is positioned above the control unit D1. With this configuration, the measuring units D2 in the upper and lower measurement assemblies ML are arranged adjacent to each other.

[0109] Therefore, the time it takes for the transport robot 55 to reach the measurement section D2 of the upper measurement component ML is almost negligible compared to the time it takes for the transport robot 55 to reach the measurement section D2 of the lower measurement component ML. As a result, the time difference between the transported substrates W can be reduced.

[0110] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the measuring section D2 of the upper measuring component ML and the measuring section D2 of the lower measuring component ML are disposed in the area between the cassette storage device 100 and the substrate transport position 201 and the substrate receiving position 202. Therefore, the transport robot 55 can quickly reach the measuring section D2, the cassette storage device 100, the substrate transport position 201, and the substrate receiving position 202. As a result, the transport time of the substrate W can be shortened without limitation.

[0111] Figure 5 This diagram shows a housing frame that houses the lower layer measurement component. The upper layer measurement component ML is positioned above the lower layer measurement component ML. The substrate processing apparatus has a housing frame 301 that houses the lower layer measurement component ML. The housing frame 301 is mounted on a low-vibration floor FL on which the substrate processing apparatus is mounted. The upper layer measurement component ML is placed on the housing frame 301.

[0112] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing a housing frame configured with a gap between it and the housing. (See diagram for example.) Figure 6 As shown, the housing frame 301 forms a gap G between itself and the housing PL, and is adjacent to the housing PL. Therefore, a gap G is formed between the measuring unit 200 and the housing PL.

[0113] The measuring unit 200 (especially the measuring section D2) is a precision device. In order to measure the surface condition of the substrate W with higher accuracy, it is preferable to measure the substrate W in a static state. In this embodiment, by forming a gap G, the measuring section D2 of the measuring unit 200 can measure the surface condition of the substrate W without being affected by vibrations caused by the equipment inside the housing PL.

[0114] Figure 7 This diagram shows the elastic seal positioned between the measuring unit and the housing. (See diagram for example.) Figure 7As shown, the measurement unit 200 (more specifically, the upper measurement component ML and the lower measurement component ML) is adjacent to the housing PL via an elastic seal SL disposed between the measurement unit 200 and the housing PL. With this structure, the measurement section D2 of the measurement unit 200 can measure the surface condition of the substrate W without being affected by vibrations caused by machinery inside the housing PL.

[0115] Figure 8 (a) to Figure 8 Figure (f) is an example of the configuration of the control unit and / or measuring unit in the upper measuring component and the lower measuring component, respectively. In the above embodiment, the upper measuring component ML and the lower measuring component ML each have a control unit D1 and a measuring unit D2, but in one embodiment, the upper measuring component ML and the lower measuring component ML do not need to have both a control unit D1 and a measuring unit D2.

[0116] exist Figure 8 (a) to Figure 8 In the embodiment shown in (f), at least one of the upper measuring component ML and the lower measuring component ML has a measuring unit D2. When one of the upper measuring component ML and the lower measuring component ML has a measuring unit D2, the other of the upper measuring component ML and the lower measuring component ML has at least a control unit D1.

[0117] exist Figure 8 (a) to Figure 8 In the embodiment shown in (f), multiple measuring units D2 are arranged adjacent to each other. Figure 8 In the embodiment shown in (a), the lower containment space LC of the upper containment component ML contains the measurement unit D2, and the upper containment space UC contains nothing. The lower containment space LC of the lower containment component ML contains the control unit D1, and the upper containment space UC contains the measurement unit D2.

[0118] exist Figure 8 In the embodiment shown in (a), one control unit D1 is electrically connected to two measuring units D2, configured to control the operation of the two measuring units D2 and acquire measurement data. In this way, the measuring unit 200 may not have a number of control units D1 corresponding to the number of measuring units D2.

[0119] exist Figure 8 In the embodiment shown in (b), with Figure 8Unlike the embodiment shown in (a), the upper receiving space UC of the upper measuring component ML houses the measuring unit D2, while the upper receiving space UC of the lower measuring component ML does not house anything. With this configuration, the two measuring units D2 are positioned closer to the substrate transport position 201 and the substrate receiving position 202. Therefore, the transport robot 55 can more efficiently transfer the substrate W between the two measuring units D2 and the substrate transport device 14.

[0120] exist Figure 8 In the embodiment shown in (c), the upper containment space UC of the upper measurement component ML contains the control unit D1, and the lower containment space LC contains the measurement unit D2. The upper containment space UC of the lower measurement component ML contains the measurement unit D2, and the lower containment space LC does not contain anything. With this configuration, [the following is possible:] Figure 4 to 7 The effect of the illustrated embodiment is also able to reduce the difference in transport time between the multiple substrates W being transported.

[0121] exist Figure 8 In the embodiment shown in (d), the upper receiving space UC of the upper measuring component ML houses the control unit D1, while the lower receiving space LC does not house anything. The upper receiving space UC and the lower receiving space LC of the lower measuring component ML each house the measuring unit D2. With this configuration, multiple measuring units D2 can be positioned at the center of gravity of the receiving frame 301, resulting in the measuring units D2 being able to measure the surface condition of the substrate W without being restricted by the influence of vibrations acting on them.

[0122] exist Figure 8 In the embodiment shown in (e), the upper housing space UC and lower housing space LC of the upper measuring component ML respectively house the measuring unit D2. The upper housing space UC of the lower measuring component ML houses the control unit D1, and the lower housing space LC does not house anything. With this configuration, it is possible to achieve the same effect as... Figure 8 The effect is the same in the embodiment shown in (b).

[0123] exist Figure 8 In the embodiment shown in (f), the upper housing space UC of the upper measuring component ML is empty, while the lower housing space LC houses the control unit D1. The upper housing space UC and the lower housing space LC of the lower measuring component ML each house the measuring unit D2. This configuration enables the [function / function] to [function / function]. Figure 8 The effect is the same in the embodiment shown in (d).

[0124] In addition, Figure 8 (a) to Figure 8In the embodiment shown in (f), a control unit D1 is provided, and the upper measurement component ML and / or the lower measurement component ML have empty (empty) storage spaces. However, a new control unit D1 or measurement unit D2 can also be housed in the empty storage space. By housing a new measurement unit D2 in the empty storage space, the substrate processing apparatus can further improve the productivity of the substrate W.

[0125] According to this embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus includes an upper measurement component ML and a lower measurement component ML arranged vertically. With this configuration, the substrate processing apparatus can improve the productivity of the substrate W without requiring a larger footprint. In other words, the substrate processing apparatus can optimize the measurement process of the substrate W.

[0126] Generally, in order to improve the productivity of substrate W, a buffer device (not shown) for storing the box storage device 100 is sometimes installed adjacent to the box loader 53 of the substrate processing apparatus. In this embodiment, the measuring unit 200 is disposed to the side of the loading and unloading section 50. Therefore, the buffer device can be installed adjacent to the box loader 53 without being obstructed by the measuring unit 200.

[0127] Figure 9 This diagram illustrates a substrate processing apparatus equipped with measurement units (i.e., upper measurement components and lower measurement components) disposed on the side of the housing. Figure 10 This diagram shows a substrate processing apparatus equipped with measurement components arranged on both sides of a housing.

[0128] like Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, when multiple substrate processing devices are arranged in a horizontal arrangement, a minimum necessary gap must be ensured to avoid contact between the measurement components ML of adjacent substrate processing devices.

[0129] according to Figure 9 and Figure 10 The comparison shows that if the measuring components ML are arranged on both sides of the housing PL, the overall footprint of the substrate processing device increases. Furthermore, the spacing between the substrate processing devices needs to be increased beyond what is necessary, resulting in a reduction in the number of substrate processing devices that can be installed in a cleanroom.

[0130] On the other hand, such as Figure 9 As shown, by arranging multiple measuring components ML along the vertical direction on one side of the housing PL, it is not necessary to make the overall footprint of the substrate processing device larger than required. Figure 10 In contrast, it is possible to set up multiple substrate processing devices in a clean room.

[0131] Figure 11This is a diagram illustrating other embodiments of the substrate processing apparatus. Figure 11 In the illustrated embodiment, multiple measurement components ML are arranged along the long side direction of the substrate processing apparatus (the arrangement direction of the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102). This arrangement allows multiple substrate processing apparatuses to be placed in a cleanroom (see reference 102) without increasing the spacing between them beyond what is necessary. Figure 10 and Figure 11 ).

[0132] On the other hand, Figure 11 In the embodiment shown, since at least one of the multiple measuring components ML is not present in the laying direction of the horizontal movement mechanism 56 of the conveying robot 55, a new mechanism (not shown) is required to enable the conveying robot 55 to reach each measuring component ML.

[0133] Furthermore, by horizontally arranging multiple measurement components ML along the long side of the substrate processing apparatus, the overall area occupied by the substrate processing apparatus is reduced compared to... Figure 9 The substrate processing apparatus involved in the illustrated embodiment occupies a large overall area. However, Figure 11 The structure of the substrate processing apparatus involved in the illustrated embodiments can also be adopted as appropriate as needed.

[0134] Figure 12 This is a diagram illustrating other embodiments of the substrate processing apparatus. Figure 12 In the illustrated embodiment, multiple measuring components ML are arranged in the loading / unloading section 50 along the width direction of the substrate processing apparatus (i.e., the arrangement direction of the box loader 53). This arrangement allows multiple substrate processing apparatuses to be installed in a cleanroom (see reference 50) without increasing the spacing between them beyond what is necessary. Figure 10 and Figure 12 ).

[0135] On the other hand, Figure 12 In the embodiment shown, the width of the loading / unloading section 50 becomes larger than the width of the processing units 101 and 102, resulting in wasted space.

[0136] Furthermore, by horizontally arranging multiple measurement components ML along the width direction of the substrate processing apparatus, the overall occupied area of ​​the substrate processing apparatus is reduced compared to... Figure 9 The substrate processing apparatus involved in the illustrated embodiment occupies a large overall area. However, Figure 12 The structure of the substrate processing apparatus involved in the illustrated embodiments can also be adopted as appropriate as needed.

[0137] Figures 13 to 17 It indicates a reference. Figures 1 to 9 and Figure 11 ,12 A diagram illustrating an example of the substrate processing flow in the substrate processing apparatus according to the described embodiment. Figures 13 to 17 In the illustrated embodiment, the program for executing the processing flow is stored in the storage device 15a. The arithmetic device 15b executes the processing flow based on the program stored in the storage device 15a.

[0138] exist Figure 13 In the embodiment shown, the motion control unit 15 is configured to perform a process flow in which the measurement unit 200 measures the surface condition of the substrate W before the substrate W is processed (polished) by the processing unit 101 (and / or the processing unit 102).

[0139] like Figure 13 As shown in steps S101 to S104, the transport robot 55 takes a substrate W to be processed from the box storage device 100 and transports it to the upper measurement component ML or the lower measurement component ML. The upper measurement component ML or the lower measurement component ML measures the surface condition of the substrate W.

[0140] Subsequently, the transport robot 55 transports the measured substrate W to the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102) for processing (grinding, cleaning, drying) (see steps S105 and S106). Then, the transport robot 55 returns the processed substrate W to the cassette storage device 100 (see steps S107 and S108).

[0141] exist Figure 14 In the embodiment shown, the motion control unit 15 is configured to execute a process flow in which the surface state of the substrate W is measured by the measurement unit 200 before and after the substrate W is processed by the processing unit 101 (and / or the processing unit 102).

[0142] like Figure 14 As shown in steps S201 to S204, the transport robot 55 takes a substrate W to be processed from the box storage device 100 and transports it to the upper measurement component ML or the lower measurement component ML. The upper measurement component ML or the lower measurement component ML measures the surface condition of the substrate W.

[0143] Subsequently, the transport robot 55 transports the measured substrate W to the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102) for processing (grinding, cleaning, drying) (refer to steps S205 and S206). Then, the transport robot 55 transports the processed substrate W to the upper or lower measurement component ML (refer to steps S207 to S209), where the upper or lower measurement component ML measures the surface condition of the substrate W. Finally, the transport robot 55 returns the measured substrate W to the cassette storage device 100 (refer to steps S210 and S211).

[0144] exist Figure 15 In the embodiment shown, the motion control unit 15 is configured to execute a process flow in which the surface condition of the substrate W is measured by the measurement unit 200 after the substrate W is processed (polished) by the processing unit 101 (and / or the processing unit 102).

[0145] like Figure 15 As shown in steps S301 to S303, the conveying robot 55 takes out a substrate W to be processed from the box storage device 100, conveys the substrate W to the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102), and processes the substrate W (grinding, cleaning, drying).

[0146] Subsequently, the transport robot 55 transports the processed substrate W to the upper measurement component ML or the lower measurement component ML (refer to steps S304 to S306). The upper measurement component ML or the lower measurement component ML measures the surface condition of the substrate W. Subsequently, the transport robot 55 returns the measured substrate W to the cassette storage device 100 (refer to steps S307 and S308).

[0147] exist Figure 16 In the illustrated embodiment, the motion control unit 15 is configured to execute a process flow of measuring the surface state of the substrate W by the measurement unit 200 before and after the substrate W is processed by the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102). In particular, the motion control unit 15 is configured to measure the surface state of the substrate W by the upper measurement component ML before the substrate W is processed by the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102), and to measure the surface state of the substrate W by the lower measurement component ML after the substrate W is processed by the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102).

[0148] like Figure 16 As shown in steps S401 to S403, the conveying robot 55 takes a substrate W to be processed from the box storage device 100 and conveys it to the upper-layer measurement component ML. The upper-layer measurement component ML measures the surface condition of the substrate W.

[0149] Subsequently, the transport robot 55 transports the measured substrate W to the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102) for processing (grinding, cleaning, drying) (refer to steps S404 and S405). Then, the transport robot 55 transports the processed substrate W to the lower-layer measurement component ML (refer to steps S406 and S407), where the lower-layer measurement component ML measures the surface condition of the substrate W. Finally, the transport robot 55 returns the measured substrate W to the cassette storage device 100 (refer to steps S408 and S409).

[0150] exist Figure 17In the illustrated embodiment, the motion control unit 15 is configured to perform a process flow of measuring the surface state of the substrate W by the measurement unit 200 before and after the substrate W is processed by the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102). In particular, the motion control unit 15 is configured to measure the surface state of the substrate W by the lower measurement component ML before the substrate W is processed by the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102), and to measure the surface state of the substrate W by the upper measurement component ML after the substrate W is processed by the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102).

[0151] like Figure 17 As shown in steps S501 to S503, the transport robot 55 takes a substrate W to be processed from the box storage device 100 and transports it to the lower layer measurement component ML. The lower layer measurement component ML measures the surface condition of the substrate W.

[0152] Subsequently, the transport robot 55 transports the measured substrate W to the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102) for processing (grinding, cleaning, drying) (refer to steps S504 and S505). Then, the transport robot 55 transports the processed substrate W to the upper-layer measurement component ML (refer to steps S506 and S507), where the upper-layer measurement component ML measures the surface condition of the substrate W. Finally, the transport robot 55 returns the measured substrate W to the cassette storage device 100 (refer to steps S508 and S509).

[0153] The above-described embodiments are intended to enable those skilled in the art to carry out the present invention. Various modifications to the above-described embodiments are readily achievable by those skilled in the art, and the technical concept of the present invention can be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, but should be considered within the widest scope of the technical concept defined according to the scope of protection sought by the invention.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that, have: A polishing assembly for polishing a substrate; A cleaning assembly that cleans the substrate; A drying assembly that dries the cleaned substrate; Multiple loading ports are provided for receiving a transport container for the substrate; At least one conveying robot, configured within a housing, conveys a substrate before grinding to the grinding assembly and conveys a substrate after drying by the drying assembly to the conveying container; A loading and unloading section, wherein the plurality of loading ports are arranged laterally adjacent to the front side outer wall of the housing; and An upper measurement component and a lower measurement component are connected to the front side outer wall, adjacent to the side outer wall of the housing and arranged vertically, and are used to measure the surface condition of the substrate.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least one of the upper measuring component and the lower measuring component has a measuring part for measuring the surface condition of the substrate before polishing and / or the surface condition of the substrate after polishing.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, When one of the upper measuring component and the lower measuring component has the measuring unit, the other of the upper measuring component and the lower measuring component has at least a control unit that controls the operation of the measuring unit and acquires the data measured by the measuring unit.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, When the upper measuring assembly includes the measuring unit and the control unit, the measuring unit in the upper measuring assembly is positioned below the control unit. When the lower-level measuring assembly includes the measuring unit and the control unit, the measuring unit in the lower-level measuring assembly is positioned above the control unit.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, When the upper measuring component and the lower measuring component each have the measuring part, the measuring parts in the upper measuring component and the measuring parts in the lower measuring component are arranged adjacent to each other.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The substrate processing apparatus includes a horizontal moving mechanism and a vertical moving mechanism, which enable the conveying robot to move between a substrate conveying position for conveying the substrate in the conveying container to the grinding assembly, a substrate receiving position for receiving the substrate dried by the drying assembly, and the upper measuring assembly and the lower measuring assembly.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The horizontal moving mechanism has a length equivalent to the distance of the area where the plurality of loading ports are configured. The up-and-down moving mechanism has a length equivalent to the distance between the plurality of loading ports and the substrate conveying position and the substrate receiving position.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The substrate processing apparatus includes a housing frame for housing the lower-layer measurement components. The housing frame forms a gap with the housing and is adjacent to the housing.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, The upper measurement component is mounted on the housing frame.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper measuring component and the lower measuring component are adjacent to the housing via elastic seals disposed between the upper measuring component and the housing, respectively.

Citation Information

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