Substrate processing apparatus and measurement method

Abstract

The invention provides a substrate processing apparatus and a measuring method, which can measure the film thickness of a film on the surface of a substrate with a simple structure. The substrate processing apparatus includes a conveying device, a measuring device, and a control unit. The transport device has a transport arm that holds and transports a substrate. The measuring device measures a film thickness of a film on a surface of a substrate. The measuring device is provided with: a housing having an opening through which the substrate held by the transfer arm can pass; and a film thickness measurer which is provided in the housing and measures the film thickness of the film of the substrate. The control unit controls the transport device, moves the transport arm to pass the substrate through the opening of the housing while holding the substrate with the transport arm, and measures the film thickness of the film using the film thickness measurer.

Description

Substrate processing apparatus and measurement method Technical Field

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses the following technology: a substrate is conveyed into a cassette using a conveying device, and after the substrate is fixed on a fixed platform set inside the cassette, the film thickness of the film located on the surface of the substrate is measured by moving a film thickness measuring device above the substrate.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent document 1: Japanese Patent No. 7282171. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] This invention provides a technique for measuring the film thickness of a film located on the surface of a substrate using a simple structure.

[0008] Technical means for solving problems

[0009] One aspect of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention includes a conveying device, a measuring device, and a control unit. The conveying device has a conveying arm that holds and conveys a substrate. The measuring device measures the film thickness of a film located on the surface of the substrate. The measuring device includes: a housing having an opening through which the substrate held on the conveying arm can pass; and a film thickness measuring device disposed in the housing for measuring the film thickness of the substrate. The control unit controls the conveying device to move the conveying arm while holding the substrate so that the substrate passes through the opening in the housing, and measures the film thickness using the film thickness measuring device.

[0010] The effects of the invention

[0011] According to the present invention, the film thickness of a film located on the surface of a substrate can be measured with a simple structure. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 is a schematic top view showing the structure of the substrate processing system according to an embodiment.

[0013] Figure 2 is a schematic front view showing the structure of the substrate processing system according to an embodiment.

[0014] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the measuring device as seen from the front of the embodiment.

[0015] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the measuring device of the embodiment as viewed from the side.

[0016] Figure 5 is a partial cross-sectional view at line VV in Figure 3.

[0017] Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the measurement location for film thickness.

[0018] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating the variation in the measurement results of the optical measuring instrument caused by the tilt of the conveyor arm.

[0019] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the measuring device of the embodiment as viewed from the bottom side.

[0020] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the housing of the measuring device being placed on a box-mounted platform.

[0021] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the measurement processing flow performed by the substrate processing system of the embodiment.

[0022] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the measurement processing flow performed by the substrate processing system of the embodiment.

[0023] Figure 12 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the measurement processing flow performed by the substrate processing system of the embodiment.

[0024] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the measuring device of Modified Example 1 of the embodiment as viewed from the front.

[0025] Figure 14 is a diagram showing an example of the measurement location for film thickness.

[0026] Figure 15 is a top view schematically showing the structure of the substrate processing system of Modified Example 2 of the embodiment.

[0027] Figure 16 is a schematic front view showing the general structure of the substrate processing system of Modified Example 2 of the embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0028] Hereinafter, embodiments (hereinafter referred to as "Embodiments") for implementing the bonding apparatus, substrate processing apparatus, and measurement method of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, the various embodiments can be appropriately combined without contradicting the processing content. In the following embodiments, the same reference numerals are used to label the same parts, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0029] Furthermore, in the embodiments shown below, expressions such as "certain," "orthogonal," "perpendicular," or "parallel" are sometimes used, but these expressions do not need to be strictly "certain," "orthogonal," "perpendicular," or "parallel." That is, the above expressions, for example, allow for errors and tolerances in manufacturing precision, setting precision, etc.

[0030] Furthermore, in the accompanying figures below, for ease of understanding, an orthogonal coordinate system is sometimes indicated by defining mutually orthogonal X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions, with the positive Z-axis direction set as the vertically upward direction. Additionally, the direction of rotation about the vertical axis is sometimes referred to as the θ direction.

[0031] (Implementation Method)

[0032] <Substrate Processing System>

[0033] First, the structure of the substrate processing system 1 (an example of a substrate processing apparatus) according to this embodiment will be described. FIG1 is a schematic top view showing the structure of the substrate processing system 1 according to the embodiment. FIG2 is a schematic front view showing the structure of the substrate processing system 1 according to the embodiment. In this embodiment, the substrate processing system 1 is described as a photolithography processing system that performs resist film formation and development processing on a wafer W.

[0034] As shown in Figure 1, the substrate processing system 1 includes: a cartridge station 2 for receiving and sending multiple wafers W (an example of a substrate) into and out of a cartridge C; and a processing station 3 including multiple processing devices for performing prescribed processing on the wafers W. Furthermore, the substrate processing system 1 also has a structure that integrally connects the cartridge station 2, the processing station 3, and an interface station 4 for exchanging wafers W between an exposure device (not shown) adjacent to the processing station 3 on the opposite side. Additionally, as shown in Figure 1, two processing stations 3 are provided between the cartridge station 2 and the interface station 4, but one or more may also be provided.

[0035] The cassette station 2 includes a cassette placement section 11 and a transport section 12. Multiple cassette placement stages 21 are provided in the cassette placement section 11. Cases C, which hold multiple wafers W in a horizontal position, are placed on the cassette placement stages 21. Furthermore, a measuring device 60 is disposed on the cassette placement stage 21. The measuring device 60 measures the thickness of a resist film (an example of a film) located on the surface of the wafer W. The structure of the measuring device 60 will be described later.

[0036] The transport unit 12 is disposed between the cassette loading unit 11 and the processing station 3, and has transport devices 22 and 23 inside. The transport devices 22 and 23 have transport arms 22a and 23a that hold and transport the wafer W. The cassette station 2 uses the transport devices 22 or 23 to transport the wafer between the cassette C or measuring device 60 placed on the cassette loading stage 21 and the processing station 3. Therefore, the transport devices 22 and 23 can also be provided with drive mechanisms having movement paths in the horizontal direction (X and Y directions), the vertical direction (Z direction), and around the vertical axis (θ direction), respectively, as needed, or they can be provided with drive mechanisms having movement paths in all directions. At least one of the transport devices 22 and 23 can use the transport arms 22a and 23a to transfer the wafer W to the measuring device 60 or the cassette C, and can also transfer the wafer W to the processing station 3. Furthermore, the transfer operation of the wafer W between the processing station 3 refers, for example, to the transfer of the wafer with a third block G3 that is accessible by a transfer device 34 within the processing station 3, as described later. The third block G3 is located in the transport section 12 of the processing station 3. Multiple transfer devices 24 and multiple groove adjustment devices 25 are arranged in the third block G3.

[0037] The groove adjustment device 25 includes a substrate rotary stage for mounting the wafer W and an optical sensor for optically detecting the groove position in the wafer W. While rotating the wafer W using the substrate rotary stage, the groove adjustment device 25 uses the optical sensor to detect the groove position in the wafer W, and performs a groove position adjustment process to adjust the detected groove position to a predetermined position.

[0038] In addition, an inspection device (not shown) for inspecting the wafer W can be installed at a location accessible to either of the transport devices 22 and 23.

[0039] Processing station 3 has multiple blocks, such as a first block G1 and a second block G2. For example, the first block G1 is located on the front side of processing station 3 (the negative Y-axis side in Figure 1), and the second block G2 is located on the back side of processing station 3 (the positive Y-axis side in Figure 1). A fourth block G4 is located on the interface station 4 side of processing station 3 (the positive X-axis side in Figure 1) or at the connection point with other adjacent processing stations 3. The fourth block G4 may also include multiple connection devices arranged vertically. In addition, the aforementioned third block G3 may also be located within processing station 3.

[0040] Multiple processing devices, such as a patterning film forming apparatus 31 and a developing apparatus 32, are arranged in the first block G1. The patterning film forming apparatus 31 may include, for example, an anti-reflective film (base film) forming apparatus in addition to a resist film forming apparatus. For example, the multiple processing devices are arranged horizontally. Furthermore, as shown in FIG2, multiple layers comprising the patterning film forming apparatus 31 and the developing apparatus 32 are stacked vertically. Moreover, the number, arrangement, and type of these processing devices can be arbitrarily selected.

[0041] In these patterning film forming apparatus 31 and developing apparatus 32, a predetermined processing solution or a predetermined gas is supplied to the wafer W, for example. The patterning film forming apparatus 31, for example, rotates the wafer W at a predetermined speed while supplying the processing solution for forming a resist film onto the wafer W, thereby performing a resist film forming process on the wafer W to form a resist film. The resist film is a film used as a mask when forming a pattern for the underlying layer film. Additionally, the patterning film forming apparatus 31, for example, rotates the wafer W at a predetermined speed while supplying the processing solution for forming an anti-reflective film onto the wafer W, thereby performing an anti-reflective film forming process on the wafer W to form an anti-reflective film. The anti-reflective film is a film used for efficiently performing light irradiation processing, such as exposure processing. Furthermore, the developing apparatus 32 rotates the wafer W at a predetermined speed while supplying the developing solution onto the wafer W, thereby performing a developing process to remove a portion of the exposed resist film and form the uneven shape of the aforementioned mask. In addition, the developing apparatus 32 can also rotate the wafer W at a predetermined speed while supplying the removal solution to the wafer W, thereby performing an overall resist film removal process to remove the resist film.

[0042] For example, in the second block G2, heat treatment apparatus (not shown) for heating and cooling wafer W is arranged in both the vertical and horizontal directions. Additionally, although not shown, in the second block G2, a hydrophobic treatment apparatus for improving the adhesion between the resist and wafer W, and a peripheral exposure apparatus for exposing the outer periphery of wafer W, are arranged in both the vertical (Z-direction of FIG2) and horizontal directions. The number and arrangement of these heat treatment apparatus, hydrophobic treatment apparatus, and peripheral exposure apparatus can be arbitrarily selected.

[0043] As shown in Figure 1, when viewed from above, a wafer transport region 33 is formed in the area sandwiched between the first block G1 and the second block G2. A transport device 34 is disposed in the wafer transport region 33.

[0044] The conveying device 34, for example, has a conveying arm 34a that is movable in the Y direction, front-back direction, θ direction, and up-down direction. The conveying device 34 can move within the wafer conveying area 33, conveying the wafer W to designated devices within the surrounding first block G1, second block G2, third block G3, and fourth block G4. In the case where multiple processing stations 3 exist as shown in FIG. 1, the conveying device 34 located in the processing station 3 on the interface station 4 side can convey the wafer W to designated devices within the first, second, and fourth blocks G1, G2, and G4, as well as the fifth block G5 (described later).

[0045] Multiple transport devices 34 are arranged vertically, as shown in FIG2. One transport device 34 can transport the wafer W to a predetermined height of one of the upper layers (four in this case) of a plurality of stacked layers. Other transport devices 34 can transport the wafer W to other predetermined heights of the other layers (four in this case) located below these layers. Multiple wafer transport areas 33 are arranged in such a way that the wafer W can be transported. Furthermore, the number of transport devices 34 and the number of layers corresponding to one transport device 34 can be arbitrarily selected, such as arranging a transport device 34 for each layer.

[0046] Alternatively, a reciprocating transport device (not shown) may be provided in wafer transport area 33 or in the first block G1 and the second block G2. The reciprocating transport device transports the wafer W linearly between the space adjacent to one side of the processing station 3 and other spaces adjacent to the opposite side.

[0047] Interface station 4 is equipped with a fifth block G5 including multiple transfer devices and transport devices 41 and 42. Between the fifth block G5, where wafer W is transferred by transport device 34, and the exposure device, interface station 4 uses transport device 41 or transport device 42 to transport wafer W. Therefore, transport devices 41 and 42 can be equipped with drive mechanisms having movement paths in various directions, such as horizontal (X-direction, Y-direction), vertical (Z-direction), and around the vertical axis (θ-direction), or drive mechanisms having movement paths in all directions, as needed. At least one of transport devices 41 and 42 can support wafer W and transport it between the transfer devices and the exposure device within the fifth block G5.

[0048] The cleaning device for cleaning the surface of the wafer W and the aforementioned peripheral exposure device can also be installed in the interface station 4 at a location accessible to either of the transport devices 41 and 42.

[0049] The inspection device can be installed at box station 2 as described above, but it can also be installed in processing station 3 and interface station 4 at a position accessible by any conveyor arm (34, 41, 42 in Figure 1 or Figure 2) located within each of them.

[0050] As shown in Figure 1, the substrate processing system 1 includes a control device 5. The control device 5 is, for example, a computer, including a control unit 51 and a storage unit 52. The storage unit 52 stores programs for controlling various processes executed in the substrate processing system 1. The control unit 51 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), which controls the operation of the substrate processing system 1 by reading and executing the programs stored in the storage unit 52.

[0051] Furthermore, the aforementioned program can also be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium and installed from that storage medium into the storage unit 52 of the control device 5. Examples of computer-readable storage media include hard disks (HD), floppy disks (FD), optical disks (CD), magneto-optical disks (MO), and memory cards. Additionally, the control unit 51 can also be constructed solely of hardware without using a program.

[0052] <The Actions of the Substrate Processing System>

[0053] The substrate processing system 1 is configured as described above. Next, an example of substrate processing performed using the substrate processing system 1 configured as described above will be described.

[0054] First, the cassette C containing multiple wafers W is sent to the cassette station 2 of the substrate processing system 1 and placed on the cassette placement stage 21. Next, each wafer W in the cassette C is sequentially removed using the conveying device 22 or the conveying device 23 and transported to the transfer device 24 of the third block G3.

[0055] The wafer W, transported to the transfer device 24 in the third block G3, is supported by the transport device 34 and transported to the hydrophobication treatment device located in the second block G2 for hydrophobication treatment. Next, it is transported by the transport device 34 to the patterning film forming device 31, which is a resist film forming apparatus, to form a resist film on the wafer W. Afterward, it is transported to a heat treatment apparatus for pre-baking. Furthermore, after the resist film formation or the pre-baking treatment, the control unit 51 can also control the transport device 34 and the transport device 23 to transport the wafer W to the measuring device 60, where the measuring device 60 measures the thickness of the resist film on the surface of the wafer W. Afterward, the wafer W is transported by the transport device 34 and the transport device 23 to the transfer device in the fifth block G5. Furthermore, in the case where multiple processing stations 3 exist as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the wafer W is temporarily placed in the transfer device of the fourth block G4 before being transferred to the transfer device of the fifth block G5, and then transferred with multiple transport devices 34. Alternatively, the wafer W can also be transported by the transport device 34 to a peripheral exposure device as needed for exposure processing of the wafer's peripheral portion.

[0056] The wafer W, which is delivered to the handover device in the fifth block G5, is transported by transport devices 41 and 42 to the exposure device for exposure processing with a specified pattern. Alternatively, the wafer W can be cleaned using a cleaning device before exposure processing.

[0057] After exposure, the wafer W is transported by conveyors 41 and 42 to the transfer device in the fifth block G5. Then, it is transported by conveyor 34 to the heat treatment unit for post-exposure baking.

[0058] After exposure and baking, the wafer W is transported by the conveyor 34 to the developing unit for developing. After developing, the wafer W is transported by the conveyor 34 to the heat treatment unit for post-baking.

[0059] Afterwards, the wafer W is transported by the transport device 34 to the transfer device 24 of the third block G3, and then by the transport device 22 or the transport device 23 of the cassette station 2 to the cassette C of the designated cassette stage 21. In this way, a series of photolithography processes are completed.

[0060] Furthermore, the substrate processing system 1 of this invention is not limited to the structure and operation described above. For example, in the above embodiment, the substrate processing system is directly connected to the exposure apparatus, and the wafer W is transferred between the interface station 4 and the exposure apparatus. However, the substrate processing system 1 may not be directly connected to the exposure apparatus. In this case, for example, after the wafer W has been transported from the cassette station 2 to the processing station 3 for necessary processing, it may be transported back to the cassette station 2 for delivery outside the system. In addition, unnecessary devices among the devices listed as processing devices may not be provided in the substrate processing system 1, or the processing in that device may not be performed.

[0061] However, a known technique involves using a transport device to deliver a wafer to a cell, fixing the wafer on a stationary stage within the cell, and then moving a film thickness gauge above the wafer to measure the film thickness on the wafer's surface. In this technique, a moving mechanism for moving the film thickness gauge above the wafer is provided within the cell. However, if a separate moving mechanism for the film thickness gauge is provided within the cell, the structure of the substrate processing system may become more complex.

[0062] Therefore, in the substrate processing system 1 of this embodiment, an optical measuring instrument for measuring the thickness of the resist film on the surface of the wafer W is installed in the housing of the measuring device 60. While holding the wafer W with the transport arm 23a of the transport device 23, the thickness of the resist film is measured using the optical measuring instrument. This eliminates the need for a separate moving mechanism for moving the optical measuring instrument in the measuring device 60. Therefore, according to the substrate processing system 1 of this embodiment, the thickness of the resist film on the surface of the wafer W can be measured with a simple structure.

[0063] <Structure of the Measuring Device>

[0064] Next, the structure of the measuring device 60 of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figures 3 to 9.

[0065] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the measuring device 60 of the embodiment viewed from the front. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the measuring device 60 of the embodiment viewed from the side. Figure 5 is a partial cross-sectional view at line VV in Figure 3.

[0066] As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the measuring device 60 includes a housing 61 and an optical measuring instrument 70 (an example of a film thickness measuring instrument). The housing 61 is similar to the box C in that it has an internal space capable of housing the wafer W. The housing 61 has an opening 61a through which the wafer W held in the transport arm 23a can pass.

[0067] The optical measuring device 70 illuminates light onto the wafer W and measures the thickness of the resist film using the reflected light from the wafer W. The optical measuring device 70 includes a beam splitter 71, a waveguide 72, and a light incident section 73.

[0068] The beam splitter 71 emits light toward the light incident section 73 via the waveguide section 72, and splits the reflected light that returns to the beam splitter 71 via the light incident section 73 and the waveguide section 72, thereby obtaining beam splitting spectral data containing the light intensity of each wavelength.

[0069] The waveguide 72 guides the light emitted from the beam splitter 71 to the light incident section 73, and guides the light incident on the light incident section 73 to the beam splitter 71. The waveguide 72 is composed of, for example, an optical fiber and an optical coupler.

[0070] The light incident section 73 directs the light guided by the waveguide section 72 downwards. Additionally, the light incident section 73 directs reflected light from the wafer W into the waveguide section 72. The light incident section 73 is positioned to illuminate the wafer W and direct reflected light from the wafer W into the opening 61a of the housing 61 when the wafer W, held by the transport arm 23a, passes through the opening 61a of the housing 61. The light incident section 73 is located around the opening 61a of the housing 61. Specifically, the light incident section 73 is located around the opening 61a of the housing 61 and above the passage path of the center of the wafer W through the opening 61a of the housing 61. Therefore, the optical measuring instrument 70 can acquire spectroscopic data at multiple measurement positions along the radial direction of the wafer W, including the center of the wafer W. The spectroscopic data varies depending on the thickness of the resist film on the surface of the wafer W. The optical measuring instrument 70 stores the correspondence between the thickness of the resist film and the spectroscopic data, and can use this correspondence and the spectroscopic data acquired by the spectrometer 71 to measure the thickness of the resist film located on the surface of the wafer W.

[0071] As shown in Figure 5, the control unit 51 (refer to Figure 1) controls the transport device 23 to move the wafer W through the opening 61a of the housing 61 while holding the wafer W with the transport arm 23a, and uses the optical measuring instrument 70 to measure the thickness of the resist film. That is, the control unit 51 moves the transport arm 23a by repeatedly moving and stopping the transport arm 23a at the opening 61a of the housing 61, thereby gradually moving the wafer W through the opening 61a of the housing 61. For example, if the reference (reference wafer) is pre-aligned with the measurement position of the optical measuring instrument 70, the control unit 51 adjusts the position of the transport arm (by moving and stopping) to align it with the measurement position of the optical measuring instrument 70. Here, the light incident part 73 of the optical measuring instrument 70 is positioned around the opening 61a of the housing 61 and above the path of the wafer W through the center of the opening 61a of the housing 61. Therefore, in the light incident section 73, as shown in FIG6, multiple measurement positions P1 to P2 are provided on the surface of the wafer W along a straight line L extending through the center of the wafer W and in the direction of passage (here, the X-axis direction) of the wafer W relative to the opening 61a of the housing 61. n Reflected light from the wafer W is incident on each of the two points. Therefore, the optical measuring unit 70 can measure multiple positions P1 to P2. n Spectroscopic data are acquired separately. Then, the optical measuring unit 70 can measure multiple positions P1 to P2. n The thickness of the resist film on the surface of the wafer W is measured using spectroscopic data. Figure 6 shows an example of the measurement location for the film thickness. n is a natural number that can be appropriately varied depending on the measurement cycle of the spectroscopic measurement performed by the spectroscopic unit 71 and the moving speed of the wafer W transported by the transport arm 23a.

[0072] Thus, in this embodiment, the control unit 51 controls the transport device 23 to move the wafer W through the opening 61a of the housing 61 while holding the wafer W with the transport arm 23a, and uses the optical measuring instrument 70 to measure the thickness of the resist film. Therefore, without moving the optical measuring instrument 70, the thickness of the resist film can be measured with a simple structure.

[0073] Additionally, the control unit 51 uses an optical measuring instrument 70 to measure multiple measurement positions P1 to P2 on the surface of the wafer W along a straight line L that passes through the center of the wafer W and extends in the direction of passage of the wafer W relative to the opening 61a of the housing 61. n The thickness of the resist film was measured separately. This allows for easy measurement of the thickness distribution of the resist film.

[0074] Furthermore, when the wafer W is fed into the interior of the housing 61 through the opening 61a or out of the housing 61 through the opening 61a, the control unit 51 can measure the thickness of the resist film using the optical measuring instrument 70 while holding the wafer W with the transport arm 23a. This allows for easy and efficient measurement of the resist film thickness.

[0075] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the light incident portion 73 of the optical measuring instrument 70 is disposed around the opening 61a of the housing 61. Therefore, for a wafer W passing through the opening 61a of the housing 61, the distribution of the resist film thickness can be easily measured.

[0076] However, the measurement results of the optical measuring instrument 70 can sometimes vary due to the tilt of the transport arm 23a. Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating the variation in the measurement results of the optical measuring instrument 70 caused by the tilt of the transport arm 23a. As shown in Figure 7, when the transport arm 23a tilts relative to the horizontal direction due to its own weight, the wafer W held on the transport arm 23a tilts, and therefore a portion of the reflected light from the wafer W does not enter the light incident portion 73 of the optical measuring instrument 70. If a portion of the reflected light from the wafer W does not enter the light incident portion 73 of the optical measuring instrument 70, the measurement results of the optical measuring instrument 70 will vary relative to the actual measurement results, and the measurement accuracy of the film thickness will decrease.

[0077] Therefore, in this embodiment, the amount of variation in the measurement result of the optical measuring instrument 70 caused by the tilt of the conveyor arm 23a is measured, and the amount of variation is used to correct the measurement result of the optical measuring instrument 70.

[0078] Before measuring the thickness of the resist film using the optical measuring instrument 70, the control unit 51 controls the transport device 23 to move the transport arm 23a while holding the reference wafer (an example of a reference substrate) through the opening 61a of the housing 61. The reference wafer is a wafer W on which no resist film exists. The reference wafer may also be a silicon substrate or the like. The control unit 51 uses the optical measuring instrument 70 to illuminate the reference wafer and measures the thickness of the resist film from multiple measurement positions P1 to P2 on the reference wafer. n (Refer to Figure 6) The reflected light is applied to multiple measurement positions P1 to P2. n Spectroscopic data are acquired separately. Corresponding to the tilting of the wafer W held on the transport arm 23a, the spectroscopic data of the reference wafer changes. That is, the spectroscopic data of the reference wafer changes at multiple measurement positions P1 to P2. n The spectroscopic data of the reference wafer are acquired separately, which is equivalent to measuring the variation in the measurement results of the optical measuring instrument 70 caused by the tilt of the transport arm 23a. Then, after the control unit 51 performs the measurement of the resist film thickness using the optical measuring instrument 70, it measures the thickness of the resist film at multiple measurement positions P1 to P2. nThe measurement results of the optical measuring instrument 70 are corrected based on the spectroscopic data of the reference wafer (the variation in the measurement results of the optical measuring instrument 70). Specifically, the control unit 51 corrects the measurement results of the optical measuring instrument 70 by subtracting the value obtained by converting the spectroscopic data of the reference wafer into the thickness of the resist film from the thickness of the resist film measured by the optical measuring instrument 70.

[0079] In this way, by using the variation in the measurement result of the optical measuring instrument 70 caused by the tilt of the conveying arm 23a to correct the measurement result of the optical measuring instrument 70, the measurement accuracy of the resist film thickness can be improved.

[0080] In this embodiment, the measuring device 60 is disposed on the cassette stage 21 (see Figures 1 and 2). As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the housing 61 of the measuring device 60 has a handle 62 on its outer side facing away from the opening 61a. By providing the handle 62 on the housing 61, the portability of the measuring device 60 can be improved when it is disposed on the cassette stage 21 and when it is removed from the cassette stage 21. Furthermore, by disposing the measuring device 60 on the cassette stage 21 and connecting it to the control device 5 during startup or maintenance of the substrate processing system 1, film thickness can be easily measured. And, after startup or maintenance, the measuring device 60 can be easily removed from the cassette stage 21.

[0081] The optical measuring unit 70 may also be provided with multiple beam splitters 71. The multiple beam splitters 71 are connected to multiple detection units in a 1:1 correspondence. The multiple detection units detect different parts of the film on the substrate. Since the substrate may warp and / or change orientation depending on the location, by arranging the beam splitters 71 in this way, it is possible to obtain measurement results that suppress the effects caused by the warping and / or orientation of different parts of the substrate.

[0082] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the measuring device 60 of the embodiment as viewed from the bottom side. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the state in which the housing 61 of the measuring device 60 is placed on the box mounting stage 21.

[0083] The housing 61 can be placed on the box mounting platform 21. Specifically, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the housing 61 has legs 63 on its bottom surface, which are placed on the box mounting platform 21 (see Figures 1 and 2). The legs 63 are provided, for example, at the four corners of the bottom surface of the housing 61.

[0084] Additionally, a protrusion 21a for positioning the box C (see Figures 1 and 2) is provided on the box mounting platform 21. The housing 61 has a fitting portion 64 on its bottom surface that engages with the protrusion 21a of the box mounting platform 21. The fitting portion 64 is a protrusion that makes a portion of the bottom surface of the housing 61 protrude, and multiple fitting portions 64 are provided on the bottom surface of the housing 61 in the area surrounded by the four legs 63. The fitting portion 64 has approximately the same height as the legs 63. The fitting portion 64 has a fitting hole 64a that engages with the protrusion 21a of the box mounting platform 21.

[0085] As shown in Figure 9, when the housing 61 is placed on the box mounting platform 21 via the leg 63, the protrusion 21a of the box mounting platform 21 is inserted into the fitting hole 64a of the fitting part 64, thereby suppressing the positional displacement of the housing 61.

[0086] <Measurement Processing>

[0087] Next, the measurement processing flow of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the steps of the measurement processing performed by the substrate processing system 1 of this embodiment. The measurement processing shown in FIG. 10 is performed during startup or maintenance of the substrate processing system 1. In addition, the measurement processing shown in FIG. 10 can also be performed during the substrate processing flow performed by the substrate processing system 1.

[0088] The control unit 51 controls the conveying devices 22, 23, 34, etc. to take out a wafer W from the box C and convey the taken wafer W to the resist film forming apparatus (patterning film forming apparatus 31) (step S101).

[0089] Next, the control unit 51 controls the resist film forming apparatus to perform a resist film forming process on the wafer W to form a resist film (step S102). In the resist film forming process, while the wafer W is rotated at a predetermined speed, a processing solution for forming a resist film is supplied to the wafer W, thereby forming a resist film on the wafer W.

[0090] Afterwards, the control unit 51 controls the conveying devices 23, 34, etc., to take out the wafer W from the resist film forming device and convey the taken-out wafer W to the measuring device 60 (step S103).

[0091] Next, the control unit 51 controls the transport device 23 to hold the wafer W with the transport arm 23a while measuring the thickness of the resist film using the optical measuring instrument 70 (step S104). That is, the control unit 51 measures multiple positions P1 to P2 of the wafer W. n The thickness of the resist film on the surface of wafer W was measured.

[0092] Next, the control unit 51 determines whether the thickness of the resist film measured by the optical measuring instrument 70 is within a specified allowable range (step S105). That is, the control unit 51 determines the thickness of the resist film at multiple measurement positions P1 to P2 on the wafer W. n Check whether the thickness of the resist film measured separately is within the allowable range.

[0093] If the thickness of the resist film measured by the optical measuring instrument 70 deviates from the allowable range (step S105, "No"), the control unit 51 changes the processing conditions of the resist film formation process (step S106). For example, the control unit 51 changes the rotation speed of the wafer W in the resist film formation apparatus and the supply amount of processing liquid to the wafer W as processing conditions of the resist film formation process.

[0094] On the other hand, if the thickness of the resist film measured by the optical measuring instrument 70 is within the allowable range (step S105, "Yes"), the control unit 51 ends the measurement process without changing the processing conditions of the resist film formation process.

[0095] In this way, the control unit 51 can also transport the wafer W after the resist film formation process to the measuring device 60, hold the wafer W with the transport arm 23a, and use the optical measuring instrument 70 to measure the thickness of the resist film. As a result, the thickness of the resist film on the surface of the wafer W after the resist film formation process can be easily measured.

[0096] Furthermore, the control unit 51 can also change the processing conditions of the resist film formation process if the thickness of the resist film measured by the optical measuring instrument 70 deviates from the allowable range. Therefore, when the thickness of the resist film on the surface of the wafer W after the resist film formation process deviates from the allowable range, the processing conditions of the resist film formation process can be appropriately changed.

[0097] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the measurement processing steps performed by the substrate processing system 1 according to the embodiment. The measurement processing shown in Figure 11 is performed during startup or maintenance of the substrate processing system 1. Furthermore, the measurement processing shown in Figure 11 can also be performed during the substrate processing flow performed by the substrate processing system 1.

[0098] After performing the resist film formation process, the control unit 51 controls the transport device 34 and the like to take out the wafer W from the resist film formation device and transport the taken-out wafer W to the groove adjustment device 25 (step S201).

[0099] Next, the control unit 51 controls the groove adjustment device 25 to perform a groove position adjustment process (step S202) to adjust the groove position of the wafer W to a predetermined position.

[0100] Then, the control unit 51 controls the conveying devices 23, 34, etc., to remove the wafer W from the groove adjustment device 25 and convey the removed wafer W to the measuring device 60 (step S103). After that, the control unit 51 performs the processing of steps S103 to S106.

[0101] In this way, the control unit 51 can also transport the wafer W, after the resist film formation process and the groove position adjustment process, to the measuring device 60, hold the wafer W with the transport arm 23a, and use the optical measuring instrument 70 to measure the thickness of the resist film. Therefore, the thickness of the resist film on the surface of the wafer W after the resist film formation process and the groove position adjustment process can be easily measured. Furthermore, by adjusting the groove position, the thickness of the resist film can be measured in alignment with a reference position. Moreover, measurement can be performed with the same orientation as the reference wafer, avoiding deviations in the calibration value.

[0102] Figure 12 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the measurement processing steps performed by the substrate processing system 1 according to the embodiment. The measurement processing shown in Figure 12 is performed during startup or maintenance of the substrate processing system 1. Furthermore, the measurement processing shown in Figure 12 can also be performed during the substrate processing flow of the substrate processing system 1.

[0103] After changing the processing conditions of the resist film formation process, the control unit 51 controls the transport devices 23, 34, etc. to take out the wafer W from the measuring device 60 and transport the taken-out wafer W to the developing processing device 32 (step S301).

[0104] Next, the control unit 51 controls the developing apparatus 32 to perform a resist film removal process (step S302) to remove the resist film from the wafer W. In the resist film removal process, the wafer W is rotated at a predetermined speed while a removal solution is supplied to the wafer W, thereby removing the entire resist film. The developing apparatus 32 is an example of a film removal apparatus.

[0105] Afterwards, the control unit 51 controls the transport device 34, etc., to take out the wafer W from the developing process device and transport the taken-out wafer W to the resist film forming apparatus (patterning film forming apparatus 31) (step S303).

[0106] Next, the control unit 51 controls the resist film forming apparatus under the modified processing conditions in step S106 to perform a resist film forming process on the wafer W (step S304). Afterwards, the control unit 51 transports the wafer W to the measuring device 60 and measures the resist film thickness again (step S105). If the resist film thickness deviates from the allowable range in step S105 (step S105, No), steps S301-S304 and S103-S105 are repeated until the resist film thickness falls within the allowable range.

[0107] Thus, after changing the processing conditions for the resist film formation process, the control unit 51 repeatedly executes steps S301 to S304 and S103 to S105 until the thickness of the resist film is within an acceptable range. Therefore, if the thickness of the resist film on the surface of the wafer W after the resist film formation process deviates from the acceptable range, the processing conditions for the resist film formation process can be appropriately changed.

[0108] <Variation Example 1>

[0109] Next, various modifications of the embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 13 to 16. Furthermore, in the following modifications, repeated descriptions are omitted by using the same reference numerals for the same parts as in the embodiment.

[0110] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the measuring device 60 of Modified Example 1 of the embodiment, viewed from the front. Figure 14 is a diagram showing an example of the film thickness measurement position. As shown in Figure 13, in Modified Example 1, the measuring device 60 has a plurality of (five in this case) optical measuring instruments 70, which differs from the embodiment. The plurality of optical measuring instruments 70 are arranged at intervals in a direction (Y-axis direction) intersecting the passing direction of the wafer W relative to the opening 61a of the housing 61 (X-axis direction in this case). Here, the light incident portion 73 of the plurality of optical measuring instruments 70 is provided around the opening 61a of the housing 61 and above the passing path of the wafer W through the opening 61a of the housing 61. Therefore, at the light incident portion 73, as shown in Figure 14, there are a plurality of measurement positions P1 to P2 arranged along a plurality of straight lines L1 to L5 on the surface of the wafer W. n Reflected light from the wafer W is incident on the wafer W. The multiple straight lines L1 to L5 are multiple straight lines including a straight line L1 that passes through the center of the wafer W and extends in the X-axis direction, and arranged in the Y-axis direction.

[0111] Therefore, the multiple optical measuring instruments 70 can measure multiple measuring positions P1 to P5 arranged along multiple straight lines L1 to L5. n Spectroscopic data are acquired separately. Then, multiple optical measuring instruments 70 can measure multiple measurement positions P1 to P5 arranged along multiple straight lines L1 to L5. n The thickness of the resist film on the surface of wafer W was measured using spectroscopic data.

[0112] Furthermore, in Modification 1, the control unit 51 uses multiple optical measuring instruments 70 to measure multiple measurement positions P1 to P5 arranged along multiple straight lines L1 to L5. n The thickness of the resist film was measured separately. This allows for easy and highly accurate measurement of the thickness distribution of the resist film.

[0113] <Variation Example 2>

[0114] In the above embodiments, an example was described where the substrate processing system 1 is a photolithography system that performs resist film formation and development processes on the wafer W. However, the substrate processing system could also be an etching system that performs an etching process to etch a film located on the surface of the wafer W. An example of this case will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16.

[0115] Figure 15 is a top view schematically showing the structure of the substrate processing system 1 of Modified Example 2 of the embodiment. Figure 16 is a front view schematically showing the structure of the substrate processing system 1 of Modified Example 2 of the embodiment.

[0116] As shown in Figure 15, the substrate processing system 1A includes an input / output station 102, a transfer station 103, and a processing station 104. They are arranged in the order of input / output station 102, transfer station 103, and processing station 104.

[0117] The substrate processing system 1A transports the wafer W fed from the infeed / outfeed station 102 to the processing station 104 via the transfer station 103, where it is processed. Additionally, the substrate processing system 1A returns the processed wafer W from the processing station 104 to the infeed / outfeed station 102 via the transfer station 103, and then sends it out from the infeed / outfeed station 102 to the outside.

[0118] The feed-in / feed-out station 102 includes a cassette stage 111 and a transport section 112. Multiple cassettes C, which hold multiple wafers W in a horizontal position, are mounted on the cassette stage 111. A measuring device 60 is also mounted on the cassette stage 111. The measuring device 60 measures the film thickness of the film located on the surface of the wafer W.

[0119] The transport unit 112 is disposed between the cassette stage 111 and the transfer station 103, and has a first transport device 113 inside. The first transport device 113 includes a wafer holding part that holds one wafer W. The first transport device 113 is capable of moving in the horizontal and vertical directions and rotating about the vertical axis, and can transport the wafer W between the cassette C or measuring device 60 and the transfer station 103 using the wafer holding part.

[0120] Next, the transfer station 103 will be described. As shown in Figures 15 and 16, multiple substrate mounting sections 114 and multiple groove adjustment devices 115 are arranged inside the transfer station 103. Specifically, the processing station 104, described later, has an upper first processing station 104U and a lower second processing station 104L. Moreover, one substrate mounting section 114 and one groove adjustment device 115 are respectively arranged at the position corresponding to the first processing station 104U and the position corresponding to the second processing station 104L.

[0121] The groove adjustment device 115 includes a substrate rotary stage for mounting the wafer W and an optical sensor for optically detecting the groove position of the wafer W. While rotating the wafer W using the substrate rotary stage, the groove adjustment device 115 uses the optical sensor to detect the groove position of the wafer W and performs a groove position adjustment process to adjust the detected groove position to a predetermined position.

[0122] Next, processing station 104 will be described. As shown in FIG16, processing station 104 includes a first processing station 104U and a second processing station 104L. The first processing station 104U and the second processing station 104L are spatially separated by a partition or gate, and are arranged in the vertical direction.

[0123] The first processing station 104U and the second processing station 104L have the same structure, as shown in FIG15, including a conveying unit 116, a second conveying device 117 and a plurality of etching processing units 118 (an example of an etching processing device).

[0124] The second transport device 117 is disposed inside the transport section 116 and transports the wafer W between the substrate mounting section 114, the groove adjustment device 115 and the etching processing unit 118.

[0125] The second transport device 117 includes a wafer holding section for holding one wafer W. The second transport device 117 is capable of moving in the horizontal and vertical directions and rotating about the vertical axis, and transports one wafer W using the wafer holding section.

[0126] Multiple etching processing units 118 are arranged on both sides of the transport section 116. Furthermore, the number of etching processing units 118 in the substrate processing system 1A is not limited to the example shown in the figure.

[0127] The etching processing unit 118 performs a prescribed etching process on the wafer W. That is, the etching processing unit 118 rotates the wafer W at a prescribed speed while supplying etching solution to the wafer W, thereby performing an etching process to remove the film located on the surface of the wafer W.

[0128] As shown in Figure 15, the substrate processing system 1A includes a control device 105. The control device 105 is, for example, a computer, including a control unit 151 and a storage unit 152. The storage unit 152 stores programs for controlling various processes executed in the substrate processing system 1A. The control unit 151 may be, for example, a CPU, or one or more circuits. The control unit 151 controls the operation of the substrate processing system 1A by reading and executing the programs stored in the storage unit 152.

[0129] Furthermore, the aforementioned program can also be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium and installed from that storage medium into the storage unit 152 of the control device 105. Examples of computer-readable storage media include hard disks (HD), floppy disks (FD), optical disks (CD), magneto-optical disks (MO), memory cards, RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or combinations thereof. Additionally, the control unit 151 can also be constructed solely of hardware without using a program.

[0130] In the substrate processing system 1A configured as described above, firstly, the first transport device 113 of the feed-in / output station 102 removes the wafer W from the cassette C placed on the cassette stage 111 and places the removed wafer W on the substrate placement section 114. The wafer W placed on the substrate placement section 114 is then removed from the substrate placement section 114 by the second transport device 117 of the processing station 104 and sent to the etching processing unit 118.

[0131] Next, the etching unit 118 etches the fed wafer W. Alternatively, after etching the wafer W, the control unit 151 controls the first transport device 113 and the second transport device 117, etc., to transport the wafer W to the measuring device 60, where the measuring device 60 measures the film thickness on the surface of the wafer W. That is, the control unit 151 transports the etched wafer W to the measuring device 60, holding the wafer W with a transport arm while measuring the film thickness using an optical measuring instrument 70. Alternatively, after measuring the film thickness using the measuring device 60, the control unit 151 controls the first transport device 113 to transport the wafer W to the groove adjustment device 115, where the groove adjustment device 115 adjusts the groove position of the wafer W. Afterward, the wafer W is delivered from the measuring device 60 or the groove adjustment device 115 by the first transport device 113 and placed on the substrate mounting unit 114. Then, the processed wafer W, placed in the substrate placement section 114, is sent back to the cassette C of the cassette stage 111 by the first transport device 113.

[0132] Thus, in Modification 2, the control unit 151 can transport the etched wafer W to the measuring device 60, hold the wafer W with the transport arm 23a, and use the optical measuring instrument 70 to measure the film thickness. Therefore, in the substrate processing system 1A of Modification 2, the film thickness can also be measured with a simple structure.

[0133] <Other variations>

[0134] In the above embodiments, an example of the measuring device 60 being disposed on the box-loading platform 21, etc., has been described. However, the placement of the measuring device 60 is not limited to the box-loading platform 21, etc. For example, the measuring device 60 may also be disposed at a location accessible to each conveying device (conveyor devices 22, 23, 34, 41, 42 in FIG1 or FIG2) in the box station 2, processing station 3, or interface station 4.

[0135] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the substrate processing system 1 is an example of a photolithography system that performs resist film formation and development processes on the wafer W, but the substrate processing system is not limited to a photolithography system. For example, the substrate processing system can also be applied to devices that require film thickness measurement, such as film deposition apparatuses and substrate bonding apparatuses.

[0136] As described above, the substrate processing apparatus of the embodiment (for example, substrate processing systems 1 and 1A) includes a transport device (for example, transport device 23 and first transport device 113), a measuring device (for example, measuring device 60), and a control unit (for example, control units 51 and 151). The transport device has a transport arm (for example, transport arm 23a) for holding and transporting a substrate (for example, wafer W). The measuring device measures the film thickness of a film (for example, a resist film) located on the surface of the substrate. The measuring device includes: a housing (for example, housing 61) having an opening (for example, opening 61a) through which the substrate held on the transport arm can pass; and a film thickness measuring device (for example, optical measuring device 70) disposed in the housing to measure the film thickness of the film on the substrate. The control unit controls the transport device to move the transport arm while holding the substrate with the transport arm so that the substrate passes through the opening of the housing, and measures the film thickness using the film thickness measuring device. Therefore, it is possible to measure the film thickness on the surface of a substrate using a simple structure.

[0137] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and should not be considered limiting. In fact, the above embodiments can be implemented in various ways. Furthermore, the above embodiments can be omitted, substituted, or modified in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

[0138] 1.1A Substrate Processing System

[0139] 2 Box Station

[0140] 3 Processing Stations

[0141] 4 Interface Stations

[0142] 5. Control Device

[0143] 21 Box Holder

[0144] 21a Protrusion

[0145] 22 Conveying device

[0146] 22a Conveyor Arm

[0147] 25. Groove Adjustment Device

[0148] 31 Patterning Film Forming Apparatus

[0149] 32. Developing equipment

[0150] 51 Control Department

[0151] 52 Storage Department

[0152] 60 Measuring device

[0153] 61. Shell

[0154] 61a Opening

[0155] 62 Handle

[0156] 63 Legs

[0157] 64 Chimeric part

[0158] 64a fitting hole

[0159] 70 Optical measuring instrument

[0160] 71 Spectrometer

[0161] 72 Waveguide Section

[0162] 73 Light incident section

[0163] 113 First Conveying Device

[0164] 117 Second Conveying Device

[0165] 118 Etching Processing Units

[0166] 151 Control Department

[0167] 152 Storage Department

[0168] Box C

[0169] W chip.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that, include: A conveying device having a conveying arm that holds and conveys the substrate; A measuring device for measuring the film thickness of a film located on the surface of the substrate; The measuring device includes a housing having an opening through which the substrate held in the conveying arm can pass; and a film thickness measuring device disposed in the housing for measuring the film thickness of the film on the substrate. The control unit controls the conveying device to move the conveying arm so that the substrate passes through the opening in the housing while holding the substrate in the conveying arm, and uses the film thickness measuring device to measure the film thickness.

2. The substrate processing apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The film thickness measuring device is an optical measuring device that illuminates the substrate with light and measures the film thickness by using the reflected light from the substrate.

3. The substrate processing apparatus as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The optical measuring instrument has a light incident portion that allows reflected light from the substrate to enter, the light incident portion being disposed around the opening of the housing.

4. The substrate processing apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The device includes a cassette stage for holding a cassette that can hold the substrate, and the measuring device is disposed on the cassette stage.

5. The substrate processing apparatus as described in claim 4, characterized in that: The housing is configured to be placed on the box mounting platform.

6. The substrate processing apparatus as described in claim 4, characterized in that: The box mounting platform has a protrusion for positioning the box, and the housing has a fitting portion on its bottom surface that engages with the protrusion.

7. The substrate processing apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The housing has a handle on its outer side opposite to the opening.

8. The substrate processing apparatus as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The control unit uses the optical measuring instrument to measure the film thickness at multiple measurement positions arranged in a straight line on the surface of the substrate, the straight line passing through the center of the substrate and extending in the direction of passage through the opening of the housing.

9. The substrate processing apparatus as described in claim 8, characterized in that: The control unit performs the following control: before measuring the film thickness using the optical measuring instrument, it controls the conveying device to move the conveying arm so that the reference substrate, on which the film does not exist, passes through the opening of the housing while holding the reference substrate with the conveying arm. Light is then irradiated onto the reference substrate using the optical measuring instrument. The amount of variation in the measurement result of the optical measuring instrument caused by the tilting of the conveying arm is measured using reflected light from the multiple measurement positions on the reference substrate. After measuring the film thickness using the optical measuring instrument, the measurement result of the optical measuring instrument is corrected for each of the multiple measurement positions based on the amount of variation.

10. The substrate processing apparatus as described in claim 8, characterized in that: The measuring device has a plurality of optical measuring instruments spaced apart in a direction intersecting the direction of passage of the substrate through the opening of the housing. The control unit uses the plurality of optical measuring instruments to measure the film thickness at a plurality of measurement positions arranged along a plurality of straight lines on the surface of the substrate. The plurality of straight lines include a straight line passing through the center of the substrate and extending in the direction of passage of the substrate through the opening of the housing, and are arranged in the intersecting direction.

11. The substrate processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The control unit, while holding the substrate with the conveying arm, measures the film thickness using the film thickness measuring device when the substrate is fed into the interior of the housing from the opening or out of the housing from the opening.

12. The substrate processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a film forming apparatus that performs a film forming process on the substrate to form the film, and the control unit controls the conveying device to convey the substrate after the film forming process to the measuring device, while holding the substrate with the conveying arm and measuring the film thickness with the film thickness measuring device.

13. The substrate processing apparatus as described in claim 12, characterized in that: It also includes an adjustment device for adjusting the groove position on the substrate after the film formation process. The control unit controls the conveying device to convey the substrate after the film formation process and the groove position adjustment process to the measuring device. While holding the substrate with the conveying arm, the film thickness is measured using the film thickness measuring device.

14. The substrate processing apparatus as described in claim 12, characterized in that: If the film thickness measured by the film thickness measuring device deviates from the allowable range, the control unit changes the processing conditions of the film formation process.

15. The substrate processing apparatus as described in claim 14, characterized in that: It also includes a membrane removal device that performs a membrane removal process to remove the membrane from the substrate. The control unit repeatedly performs the following process until the membrane thickness converges within the allowable range: after changing the processing conditions of the membrane formation process, controlling the conveying device and other conveying devices to convey the substrate from the measuring device to the membrane removal device; controlling the other conveying devices to convey the substrate after membrane removal from the membrane removal device to the membrane forming device; controlling the conveying device and the other conveying devices to convey the substrate after membrane formation from the membrane forming device to the measuring device; while holding the substrate with the conveying arm, measuring the membrane thickness again using the membrane thickness measuring device.

16. The substrate processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes an etching process apparatus that performs an etching process to etch a film located on the surface of the substrate. The control unit transports the etched substrate to the measuring device, holds the substrate with the transport arm, and measures the film thickness using the film thickness measuring device.

17. A measurement method using a substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that, The substrate processing apparatus includes: a conveying device having a conveying arm for holding and conveying a substrate; and a measuring device for measuring the film thickness of a film located on the surface of the substrate, the measuring device having: a housing having an opening for the substrate held on the conveying arm to pass through; and a film thickness measuring instrument disposed in the housing for measuring the film thickness of the film on the substrate, wherein the measuring method involves controlling the conveying device to hold the substrate with the conveying arm and conveying the substrate to the measuring device, and measuring the film thickness of the film using the film thickness measuring instrument while holding the substrate with the conveying arm.

18. The measurement method as described in claim 17, characterized in that: The film thickness measuring device is an optical measuring device that illuminates the substrate with light and measures the film thickness by using the reflected light from the substrate.

Images