Film forming system, film thickness measurement method, and method for manufacturing electronic device

Abstract

A film thickness measurement device for measuring a thickness of a film formed on a substrate by a film formation process, the film thickness measurement device including: a measurement unit configured to measure the thickness of the film; an electrostatic chuck configured to attract the substrate, which is a measurement target of the measurement unit, by electrostatic force; a potential measurement device configured to measure a potential of an attraction surface of the substrate to be attracted to the electrostatic chuck on a conveyance path before the substrate is attracted to the electrostatic chuck; and a control device configured to control a film thickness measurement process of the measurement unit based on a measurement result of the potential.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to film formation systems, film thickness measurement methods, and methods for manufacturing electronic devices. Background Technology

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for measuring the film thickness of a substrate held by an electrostatic chuck. The device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a moving mechanism for the electrostatic chuck to prevent the substrate from contacting the electrostatic chuck during transport.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-79032 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] Due to processes such as mask and substrate peeling, the substrate may sometimes become charged. If the substrate attempts to be attracted to the electrostatic chuck while charged, the following situations may occur: a voltage higher than the specified voltage for attraction may be required; or a portion of the substrate may come into contact with the electrostatic chuck before the voltage is applied. This can lead to delays in film thickness measurement, increased cycle time, decreased yield, and reduced production capacity. Furthermore, when using optical measurement devices, the measurement accuracy depends on the adhesion of the substrate to the electrostatic chuck, i.e., the flatness of the substrate being measured. Therefore, the potential of the substrate may prevent high-precision film thickness measurements.

[0008] In film thickness measurement after film formation, in order to achieve higher accuracy in film thickness measurement, it is preferable to measure the surface potential of the adsorption surface of the substrate before the substrate after film formation comes into contact with the electrostatic chuck of the film thickness measurement device, and to perform film thickness measurement processing, for example, by controlling the voltage applied to the electrostatic chuck, or by controlling the voltage applied to the electrostatic chuck and simultaneously eliminating static electricity on the substrate.

[0009] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a technique for controlling the film thickness measurement process based on the measurement results of the surface potential of the adsorption surface of the substrate, which is measured before the substrate after film formation comes into contact with the electrostatic chuck of the film thickness measurement device.

[0010] Solution for solving the problem

[0011] One aspect of the film-forming system of the present invention includes a film thickness measuring device for measuring the thickness of a film formed on a substrate by a film-forming process. The film-forming system is characterized in that...

[0012] The film thickness measuring device includes:

[0013] A measuring apparatus that measures the thickness of the membrane;

[0014] An electrostatic chuck uses electrostatic force to adsorb the substrate, which is the object to be measured by the measuring mechanism.

[0015] A potential measuring mechanism measures the potential of the adsorption surface of the substrate to be adsorbed onto the electrostatic chuck along the transport path before the substrate is adsorbed onto the electrostatic chuck; and

[0016] A control mechanism that controls the film thickness measurement process of the measuring mechanism based on the measured potential.

[0017] Invention Effects

[0018] According to the present invention, the film thickness measurement process can be controlled based on the measurement result of the surface potential of the substrate, which is measured before the substrate comes into contact with the electrostatic chuck of the film thickness measurement device after film formation. Therefore, high-precision film thickness measurement can be achieved. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a part of an electronic device production line.

[0020] Figure 2A This is a schematic diagram of the film thickness measuring device according to the embodiment.

[0021] Figure 2B This is a schematic diagram of the light source in the film thickness measuring device of the embodiment.

[0022] Figure 3A This is a diagram showing the schematic structure of a film-forming device arranged in the film-forming chamber.

[0023] Figure 3B This is a diagram illustrating the structure of an example 1 of the static eliminator according to an embodiment.

[0024] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating the structure of an example 2 of the static eliminator according to an embodiment.

[0025] Figure 5A This is a diagram illustrating the structure of an example 3 of the static elimination device according to an embodiment.

[0026] Figure 5B This is a diagram showing the schematic structure of the film thickness measuring device according to the embodiment.

[0027] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating the structure of an example 4 of the static eliminator according to an embodiment.

[0028] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating the structure of an example 5 of the static eliminator according to an embodiment.

[0029] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating the structure of an antistatic device according to an embodiment, Example 6.

[0030] Figure 9 This is a diagram illustrating the structure of an example 7 of the static eliminator according to an embodiment.

[0031] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the base portion and the substrate support portion of the structure of the static elimination device in Example 8 as an embodiment.

[0032] Figure 11 This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the measuring device (surface potentiometer) in the embodiment.

[0033] Figure 12 This is a diagram illustrating the processing flow of the measuring device and control device in the embodiment.

[0034] Figure 13 This is a diagram showing the overall processing flow of the film-forming apparatus based on the implementation method. Detailed Implementation

[0035] The embodiments will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following embodiments do not limit the invention as defined in the claims. Multiple features are described in the embodiments, but these features are not necessarily essential to the invention; furthermore, multiple features can be arbitrarily combined. In addition, in the accompanying drawings, the same or identical structures are labeled with the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0036] <Production Line of Electronic Components>

[0037] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing a portion of the structure of an electronic device production line to which the film-forming system of this embodiment can be applied. Figure 1 For example, in the production line for manufacturing display panels for organic EL display devices, substrate 100 is sequentially transported to film deposition block 301 to deposit organic EL elements on substrate 100. Figure 1 In the diagram, arrow Z indicates the vertical direction (direction of gravity), and arrows X and Y indicate mutually orthogonal horizontal directions. Additionally, in all diagrams, G represents grounding.

[0038] In the film-forming block 301, a plurality of film-forming chambers 303a to 303d for film-forming processing of the substrate 100 are arranged around a transport chamber 302, which has an octagonal shape when viewed from above, and a mask storage chamber 305 for storing masks before and after use. A film-forming apparatus 1 for forming a film on the substrate 100 by film-forming processing is arranged in each of the plurality of film-forming chambers 303a to 303d. A transport robot 302a for transporting the substrate 100 is arranged in the transport chamber 302. The transport robot 302a includes a hand for holding the substrate 100 and a multi-jointed arm capable of moving the hand in both horizontal and vertical directions. In other words, the film-forming block 301 is a cluster-type film-forming unit in which a plurality of film-forming chambers 303a to 303d are arranged around the transport robot 302a. It should be noted that, when referring to film-forming chambers 303a to 303d collectively, or when no distinction is made, they are designated as film-forming chamber 303.

[0039] Along the transport direction (arrow direction) of the substrate 100, a buffer chamber 306, a rotary chamber 307, and a transfer chamber 308 are respectively disposed on the upstream side (post-film formation side) and downstream side (post-film formation side) of the film forming block 301. During the manufacturing process, each chamber is maintained in a vacuum state. It should be noted that... Figure 1 The diagram shows only one film-forming block 301, but the production line of this embodiment has multiple film-forming blocks 301, which are connected by a connecting device consisting of a buffer chamber 306, a rotary chamber 307, and a transfer chamber 308. It should be noted that the structure of the connecting device is not limited to this, and it may also consist of only the buffer chamber 306 or the transfer chamber 308.

[0040] The handling robot 302a performs the following tasks: moving the substrate 100 from the upstream transfer chamber 308 to the handling chamber 302; handling the substrate 100 between the film forming chambers 303; handling the mask between the mask storage chamber 305 and the film forming chamber 303; and handling the substrate 100 from the handling chamber 302 to the downstream buffer chamber 306.

[0041] The buffer chamber 306 is a chamber used to temporarily store substrates 100 according to the operating conditions of the production line. The buffer chamber 306 is equipped with a substrate storage rack, also referred to as a housing, and a lifting mechanism. The substrate storage rack has a multi-layer structure capable of storing multiple substrates 100 in a horizontal position with the processed surface (film-forming surface) of the substrate 100 facing downwards in the direction of gravity. The lifting mechanism raises and lowers the substrate storage rack to align the layers of substrates 100 being moved in or out with the transport position. Thus, multiple substrates 100 can be temporarily housed and held in the buffer chamber 306.

[0042] The rotary chamber 307 is equipped with a device for changing the orientation of the substrate 100. In this embodiment, the rotary chamber 307 utilizes a transport robot 307a disposed in the rotary chamber 307 to rotate the orientation of the substrate 100 by 180 degrees. The transport robot 307a includes a hand for holding the substrate 100 and a multi-joint arm capable of moving the hand in both horizontal and vertical directions. The transport robot 307a disposed in the rotary chamber 307 rotates 180 degrees while supporting the substrate 10 received from the buffer chamber 306, and transfers it to the transfer chamber 308, thereby swapping the front and rear ends of the substrate 100 in the transport direction (arrow direction) between the buffer chamber 306 and the transfer chamber 308. As a result, since the orientation of the substrate 100 when it is moved into the film deposition chamber 303 is the same in each film deposition block 301, the scanning direction of the evaporation source on the substrate 100 and the orientation of the mask can be made consistent in each film deposition block 301. By designing the structure in this way, the masks in each film-forming block 301 can be positioned in the same orientation in the mask storage chamber 305, which simplifies mask management and improves ease of use.

[0043] The downstream transfer chamber 308 is used to transfer the substrate 100, which is moved in by the handling robot 307a of the rotary chamber 307, to the handling robot 307a of the rotary chamber 307 in the downstream film forming apparatus 1. In this embodiment, as will be described later, the thickness of the film formed on the substrate 100 is measured in the transfer chamber 308 (hereinafter also simply referred to as film thickness measurement). That is, the transfer chamber 308 can be described as an inspection chamber for inspecting the film formed on the substrate 100.

[0044] The production line control system includes a host device 300 that controls the entire production line as the main unit, and control devices 309, 310, 311, and 314a-314d that control various structures. These devices can communicate via wired or wireless communication line 300a. Control devices 314a-314d are arranged corresponding to film-forming chambers 303a-303d and control the film-forming apparatus 1. It should be noted that, when referring to control devices 314a-314d collectively or without distinction, they are designated as control device 314. Control device 309 controls the handling robot 302a. Control device 310 controls the handling robot installed in the rotary chamber 307. Furthermore, control device 310 can control the static eliminator (Structure Examples 1-8) of this embodiment based on the measurement results of the potential measuring device, which will be described later. Control device 311 controls the device for measuring film thickness in the downstream transfer chamber 308. Furthermore, the control device 311 can control the film thickness measurement device of this embodiment based on the measurement results of the potential measurement device, which will be described later. The host device 300 sends information related to the substrate 100, handling timing, and other instructions to each control device 309, 310, 311, 314a to 314d, and each control device 309, 310, 311, 314a to 314d controls each component based on the received instructions.

[0045] The film-forming apparatus 1 is an apparatus for depositing a vapor-deposited material onto a substrate 100, forming a thin film of the vapor-deposited material with a predetermined pattern through a mask 101. The substrate 100 for which the film is formed by the film-forming apparatus 1 can be made of materials such as glass, resin, or metal, with a material having a resin layer such as polyimide formed on glass being preferred. The vapor-deposited material can be an organic material, an inorganic material (metal, metal oxide, etc.), or similar substances. The film-forming apparatus 1 can be applied to manufacturing apparatuses for electronic devices or optical components, such as display devices (flat panel displays, etc.), thin-film solar cells, organic photoelectric conversion elements (organic thin-film camera elements), etc., and is particularly applicable to manufacturing apparatuses for organic EL panels. The manufacturing method of the electronic device includes: a film-forming step of performing a film-forming treatment on a substrate; and a film thickness measurement step of measuring the thickness of the film formed after the film-forming treatment using a film thickness measurement method of the film thickness measurement apparatus 3080, which will be described below. The film forming system of this embodiment includes a film forming apparatus 1 for performing film forming processing; and a film thickness measuring apparatus 3080 for measuring the thickness of the film formed on the substrate by the film forming processing.

[0046] The film deposition apparatus 1 is a del-up type structure (in which the film deposition surface of the substrate 100 faces the vertically downward side and the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100 faces the vertically upward side during film deposition). In the del-up type film deposition apparatus 1, the back side of the film deposition surface of the substrate 100 (the side facing the vertically upward side) is the adsorption surface that is adsorbed onto the electrostatic chuck 150 of the film deposition apparatus 1; in other words, it is the contact surface where the electrostatic chuck 150 of the film deposition apparatus 1 contacts the substrate 100. In the film deposition apparatus 1, the vertically upward side of the substrate 100 is the adsorption surface 100a, and the vertically downward side of the substrate 100 is the film deposition surface. The film deposition apparatus 1 forms a thin film of vapor-deposited material with a predetermined pattern on the film deposition surface of the substrate through a mask 101. The same applies to the film thickness measuring device 3080, which will be described later. When the substrate 100 is adsorbed by the electrostatic chuck 11 of the film thickness measuring device 3080, the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100 will be adsorbed by the electrostatic chuck 11 of the film thickness measuring device 3080.

[0047] <Overview of the film thickness measuring device>

[0048] Figure 2A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the constituent elements of the downstream junction chamber 308, centered on elements related to the film thickness measuring device 3080 of the substrate 100. It should be noted that... Figure 2A In this drawing, the constituent elements required for subsequent explanations are highlighted; therefore, the arrangement and size of these elements may sometimes differ from other figures. Additionally, Figure 2B This is a diagram showing the schematic structure of the measuring section 29 in the film thickness measuring device 3080.

[0049] like Figure 2A As shown, the transfer chamber 308 includes a chamber 10, an electrostatic chuck 11, a chuck moving part 12, an adsorption auxiliary part 13, a positioning part 14, a substrate support part 15, and a measuring part 29. The chamber 10 has a box-shaped form to create an internal space 101. The internal space 101 of the chamber 10 is maintained in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen. In this embodiment, the chamber 10 is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown). It should be noted that in this specification, "vacuum" refers to a state filled with a gas at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure; in other words, it refers to a depressurization state.

[0050] In this embodiment, the substrate 100 is moved into the chamber 10 via a transport inlet (not shown) by a transport robot 307a in the downstream rotary chamber 307. An electrostatic chuck 11 uses electrostatic force to attract the substrate 100, which is the object of measurement in the measurement section 29. The electrostatic chuck 11 includes an electrode arrangement section 112. Electrodes that generate electrostatic force are arranged in the electrode arrangement section 112. That is, the electrode arrangement section 112 is used to form an adsorption region that generates an adsorption force on the substrate 100.

[0051] The suction cup moving part 12 moves the electrostatic suction cup 11. In this embodiment, the suction cup moving part 12 causes the electrostatic suction cup 11 to move up and down along the vertical direction. The suction cup moving part 12 includes a movable part 121, a fixed part 122, and a driving part 123.

[0052] The movable part 121 supports the electrostatic chuck 11 and is configured to move together with the electrostatic chuck 11. The movable part 121 includes a fixed part side member 1211, a chuck side member 1212, and a connecting part 1213.

[0053] The fixed-side member 1211 is supported so that it can move relative to the fixed part 122. The suction cup-side member 1212 is connected to the side of the frame of the electrostatic chuck 11 and supports the electrostatic chuck 11. The connecting part 1213 connects the fixed-side member 1211 and the suction cup-side member 1212 so that they can swing. In this embodiment, the connecting part 1213 connects the fixed-side member 1211 and the suction cup-side member 1212 via a spherical bearing so that they can swing.

[0054] The fixed part 122 is fixed to the upper wall 102 of the chamber 10. The drive part 123 includes a drive source that generates a driving force for moving the movable part 121, and a mechanism that converts the driving force of the drive source into translational motion. For example, the movable part 121 is moved by converting the rotational driving force of the electric motor into translational motion using a ball screw mechanism.

[0055] The adsorption auxiliary part 13 assists the electrostatic chuck 11 in adsorbing the substrate 100. For example, the adsorption auxiliary part 13 includes a shaft-shaped pressing part 131 that presses the substrate 100 and a lifting part 132 that raises and lowers the pressing part 131. The lifting part 132 can be appropriately equipped with known technologies such as electric motors and ball screw mechanisms.

[0056] The positioning part 14 is used to position the electrostatic chuck 11. Specifically, the positioning part 14 positions the electrostatic chuck 11 to the position where it is measured by the measuring part 29. The positioning part 14 includes a contact part 141 and a receiving part 142. The contact part 141 is provided on the side of the frame of the electrostatic chuck 11. That is, the contact part 141 moves together with the electrostatic chuck 11 via the chuck moving part 12. The contact part 141 is formed such that the portion that contacts the receiving part 142 is spherical.

[0057] A receiving portion 142 is provided at a position corresponding to the contact portion 141 for receiving the contact portion 141. Here, the receiving portion 142 is shown as a conical recess that opens upwards. The position of the electrostatic chuck 11 is defined by inserting the spherical portion of the contact portion 141 into the recess of the receiving portion 142.

[0058] The substrate support 15 supports the substrate 100. The substrate support 15 supports the substrate 100 from below, for which the film thickness is to be measured by the measuring unit 29. The substrate support 15 is located within the chamber 10 between the electrostatic chuck 11 and the measuring unit 29 in the vertical direction.

[0059] The substrate support portion 15 includes a frame 151 and leaf springs 152. The frame 151 forms the outer shape of the substrate support portion 15. The frame 151 has a rectangular frame shape, and the substrate 100 is supported inside the frame formed by the frame 151. The leaf springs 152 are the portion of the substrate support portion 15 that directly supports the substrate 100. In this embodiment, a plurality of leaf springs 152 are supported on the frame 151 in such a way that they extend inward to the inside of the frame formed by the frame 151. The substrate support portion 15 supports the substrate 100 using leaf springs 152, thereby releasing the load when the electrostatic chuck 11 contacts the substrate 100.

[0060] The measuring unit 29 measures the thickness of the film formed on the substrate 100. The measuring unit 29 is located below the substrate support 15. The measuring unit 29 includes a light source 2901, a vacuum flange 2902, a measuring head 2903, a beam splitter 2904, and a PC 2905 (processing unit). The light source 2901, vacuum flange 2902, measuring head 2903, and beam splitter 2904 are connected by an optical fiber 2911.

[0061] Light source 2901 is a light-emitting device that can switch between light output and non-output by actuating switch 29011. As an example, light source 2901 can be a deuterium (D2) halogen light source 29012 that outputs continuous light of halogen and deuterium from one light output port, or a laser-driven plasma light source.

[0062] Vacuum flange 2902 is disposed at the connection between the vacuum environment and the atmospheric environment. For example, light source 2901, beam splitter 2904 and PC2905 (computing device) are disposed outside the chamber 10 which is maintained as an atmospheric environment, and measuring head 2903 is disposed inside the chamber 10 which can be in a vacuum state. Fiber optic cable 2911 for connecting measuring head 2903 to light source 2901 and beam splitter 2904 is connected to the inside and outside of chamber 10 via vacuum flange 2902.

[0063] The measuring head 2903 includes a light-emitting section that emits light emitted from the light source 2901 vertically upwards, and a light-receiving section that receives reflected light and sends it to the beam splitter 2904. The beam splitter 2904 has a light input port and splits the input light to measure the light intensity by wavelength. It then sends the measured information related to the light intensity to the PC 2905. The PC 2905 (processing unit) calculates the film thickness measurement value based on the light intensity measured by the beam splitter 2904. The film thickness measurement value can be calculated using known techniques. For example, the relationship between the film thickness formed on the substrate 100 at a certain wavelength (nm) and the reflectivity of the substrate 100 can be predetermined, and the film thickness can be calculated based on this relationship and the measured reflectivity.

[0064] The measuring unit 29 includes a measuring base 2907, a guide rail 2908, and a head moving part 2910 as elements for moving the measuring head 2903. The measuring base 2907 is a member that supports the measuring head 2903. The guide rail 2908 is a member that guides the measuring base 2907. The head moving part 2910 generates a driving force for moving the measuring base 2907. The head moving part 2910 can use known technologies such as electric motors and ball screw mechanisms. By moving the measuring base 2907 along the guide rail 2908, the measuring head 2903 supported on the measuring base 2907 is moved. Therefore, the measuring unit 29 can perform film thickness measurement on the substrate 100.

[0065] In this embodiment, the path from when the substrate 100 is formed by the film forming apparatus 1 until it comes into contact with the electrostatic chuck 11 of the film thickness measuring device 3080 is called the substrate transport path after film formation (hereinafter also simply referred to as the transport path).

[0066] exist Figure 1 In this structure, for example, the path from the downstream buffer chamber 306 to the electrostatic chuck 11 of the film thickness measuring device 3080 in the downstream transfer chamber 308 is the substrate transport path after film formation. It should be noted that the substrate transport path after film formation is only the path before the substrate 100 is adsorbed onto the electrostatic chuck 11, and is not limited to this path. Figure 1 The structure shown in the example can also use the transport chamber 302 after film formation as the starting point of the substrate transport path. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the device structure in the substrate transport path after film formation and the structure including the film thickness measuring device 3080 are sometimes collectively referred to as the film thickness measuring system or film thickness measuring device.

[0067] The film thickness measuring device of this embodiment includes an antistatic device that removes static electricity from the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100 to be adsorbed onto the electrostatic chuck 11 on the substrate transport path after film formation.

[0068] <Example 1 of the structure of an antistatic device: An example of installing an antistatic device in the handling room 302>

[0069] Figure 3A This is a diagram showing a schematic structure of the film-forming apparatus 1 arranged in the film-forming chamber 303. The substrate is moved into the film-forming chamber 303 in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface, and the film-formed substrate is removed from the film-forming chamber 303. Figure 3B This is a diagram illustrating the structure of an antistatic device in a film thickness measuring apparatus 3080, specifically an embodiment where the substrate 100 after film deposition, removed from the film deposition chamber 303, is subjected to antistatic treatment in the transport chamber 302. (See diagram 1.) Figure 3B As shown, a potential measuring device 1101 (surface potentiometer) is positioned near the outlet of the gate valve 361 within the transport chamber 302. The potential measuring device 1101 measures the surface potential of the substrate 100 after film deposition, which is then transported from the film deposition chamber 303. For details regarding the measurement of surface potential by the potential measuring device 1101, please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 11 and Figure 12 Let me explain in detail.

[0070] As an example of the structure of an electrostatic eliminator, the structure of an electrostatic eliminator (ion generator) 350 that can operate in a vacuum environment will be described. Figure 3B As an example of the substrate transport path after film deposition, an example is shown where an antistatic device (ion generator) 350 is installed in the transport chamber 302. Specifically, an example is shown where the antistatic device (ion generator) 350 is installed at the location (near) the outlet of the gate valve 361 in the transport chamber 302 through which the substrate 100 after film deposition is transported from the film deposition chamber 303 to the transport chamber 302.

[0071] The static eliminator (ion generator) 350 is a device that outputs ultraviolet light to induce ionization; for example, it could be a device employing vacuum-based ultraviolet light ionization (photoionization). The static eliminator (ion generator) 350 can be connected to a vacuum chamber (e.g., in a vacuum chamber) via a vacuum flange 352. Figure 3B In example 1, the connection is made to the transport chamber 302, etc. Here, the vacuum flange 352 is a vacuum component that has a sealing function and can connect the vacuum chamber to the static eliminator (ion generator) 350.

[0072] The static eliminator (ion generator) 350 has a vacuum ultraviolet light generating unit 351 (light source unit) and an irradiation unit 353 that irradiates the vacuum ultraviolet light generated by the vacuum ultraviolet light generating unit 351, and emits vacuum ultraviolet light 354 from the irradiation unit 353.

[0073] exist Figure 3BIn the illustrated structure, an example is shown where an antistatic device (ion generator) 350 is provided on the upper side of the transport chamber 302. However, in an upward deposition type film deposition system, when performing antistatic treatment on the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100, it is sufficient to provide an antistatic device (ion generator) 350 on at least the upper side of the transport chamber 302. When depositing films of organic materials, it is sufficient to perform antistatic treatment only on the adsorption surface 100a side. It should be noted that, not limited to this example, when depositing films of inorganic materials (metals, metal oxides, etc.), both sides of the substrate 100 can also be treated with antistatic treatment. The same applies to other embodiments of antistatic devices that use the antistatic device (ion generator) 350. The transport robot 302a controls its position in the vertical direction to adjust the distance between the irradiation unit 353 and the adsorption surface 100a, thereby adjusting the irradiation range of the vacuum ultraviolet light 354.

[0074] The substrate 100 after film deposition is removed from the film deposition chamber 303 by a horizontally moving transport robot 302a. The adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100 is then irradiated by vacuum ultraviolet light 354 along the transport path after film deposition, thereby removing the potential (static charge) carried by the substrate 100. To simultaneously remove static charge over a larger irradiation area along the transport path after film deposition, multiple static eliminators (ion generators) 350 can be installed along the Y direction (perpendicular to the paper surface).

[0075] <Example 2 of the structure of an antistatic device: An example of installing an antistatic device in buffer chamber 306>

[0076] The location of the static eliminator (ion generator) 350 is not limited to the transport chamber 302, but can also be used to irradiate the substrate 100 stored on the substrate storage rack provided in the buffer chamber 306 with vacuum ultraviolet light 354. In this embodiment, the path up to the contact between the electrostatic chuck 11 of the film thickness measuring device 3080 and the substrate 100 is taken as the substrate transport path after film formation. Therefore, the buffer chamber 306 located downstream of the transport chamber 302 is also included in the substrate transport path after film formation.

[0077] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating a structural example 2 of the static eliminator in the film thickness measuring apparatus 3080 of the embodiment. As a structural example 2 of the static eliminator, in... Figure 4 The image shows an example of a substrate transport path after film deposition, in which an antistatic device (ion generator) 350 is installed in a buffer chamber 306. The substrate 100 stored in the substrate storage rack of the buffer chamber 306 is held horizontally with the processed surface (film deposition surface) facing downwards (vertically downwards) in the direction of gravity. Therefore, the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100 becomes... Figure 4 The vertical upper side.

[0078] exist Figure 4 The structure shown is an example in which an antistatic device (ion generator) 350 is provided on the upper side of the buffer chamber 306. However, when performing antistatic treatment on the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100 formed by the upward deposition type film forming apparatus 1, it is sufficient to provide an antistatic device (ion generator) 350 on the upper side of the buffer chamber 306.

[0079] In order to irradiate the substrate 100 with vacuum ultraviolet light 354 over a wide area while it is being stored, Figure 4 In structural example 2, multiple static eliminators (ion generators) 350 are provided along the Y direction, but providing multiple static eliminators 350 is not a necessary structure. For example, if a single static eliminator (ion generator) 350 can be used to eliminate static electricity in the area of ​​the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100 that needs to be eliminated, it is sufficient to provide at least one static eliminator (ion generator) 350 on the upper side of the buffer chamber 306.

[0080] <Example 3 of the structure of an antistatic device: An example of installing an antistatic device in rotary chamber 307>

[0081] In this embodiment, the path until the substrate 100 contacts the electrostatic chuck 11 of the film thickness measuring device 3080 is taken as the substrate transport path after film formation. Therefore, for example... Figure 1 The downstream rotary chamber 307 is also included in the substrate transport path after film formation. Figure 5A This is a diagram illustrating the structure of the static elimination device in the film thickness measuring apparatus 3080 of the embodiment, as shown in Example 3. Figure 5B This is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the film thickness measuring device 3080 arranged in the transfer chamber 308. The substrate is moved into the transfer chamber 308 in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface. As an example of the structure of the static eliminator, in... Figure 5A The image shows an example of a substrate transport path after film deposition, in which an antistatic device (ion generator) 350 is installed in a rotary chamber 307. The substrate 100 is transported to the transfer chamber 308 by a transport robot 307a moving along the X direction within the rotary chamber 307. The adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100 is irradiated by vacuum ultraviolet light 354 along the substrate transport path after film deposition, thereby removing the potential (static charge) carried by the substrate 100. To simultaneously remove static charge over a larger irradiation area along the substrate transport path after film deposition, multiple antistatic devices (ion generators) 350 can also be installed along the Y direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper plane).

[0082] exist Figure 5A In the structure shown, with Figure 3BSimilarly, an example is shown where an antistatic device (ion generator) 350 is provided on the upper side of the rotary chamber 307. However, in an upward deposition type film deposition system, when performing antistatic treatment on the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100, it is sufficient to provide an antistatic device (ion generator) 350 on at least the upper side of the rotary chamber 307. The handling robot 307a adjusts the distance between the irradiation unit 353 and the adsorption surface 100a by controlling its position in the Z direction (vertical direction), thereby adjusting the irradiation range of the vacuum ultraviolet light 354.

[0083] <Example 4 of the structure of an antistatic device: An example of installing an antistatic device on the side wall of a film thickness measuring device>

[0084] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating the structure of the static elimination device in the film thickness measuring apparatus 3080 of the embodiment, as shown in Example 4. Figure 6 As an example of the substrate transport path after film formation, an example is shown where an antistatic device (ion generator) 350 is provided on the side wall of the film thickness measuring device 3080.

[0085] The substrate 100 is supported by a substrate support portion 15 that supports the periphery of the substrate 100. In this state, the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100 is not adsorbed by the electrostatic chuck 11. In this state, an antistatic device (ion generator) 350 is provided on the side wall of the film thickness measuring device 3080 to irradiate the substrate 100 supported by the substrate support portion 62 with vacuum ultraviolet light 354 from the horizontal direction (Y direction).

[0086] In this embodiment, since the path up to the point where the substrate 100 comes into contact with the electrostatic chuck 11 is taken as the substrate transport path after film formation, the position of the substrate 100 placed on the substrate support 15 in the state before the substrate 100 comes into contact with the electrostatic chuck 11 is included in the substrate transport path after film formation in the film thickness measuring device 3080.

[0087] As shown in Structural Examples 1 to 4, by irradiating the substrate 100 (adsorption surface 100a) with vacuum ultraviolet light 354 using an antistatic device (ion generator) 350, the potential carried on the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100 can be removed.

[0088] <Example 5 of the structure of an antistatic device: an example using a static-diffusing material: protruding shape>

[0089] In Structural Examples 1 to 4, the structure using the static eliminator (ion generator) 350 was described, but the structure of the static eliminator is not limited to these examples. For example, a material with electrostatic diffusivity can also be used. A material with electrostatic diffusivity is a material that has the property of diffusing charged charges (electrostatic diffusivity). Here, "electrostatic diffusivity" refers to a material with a surface resistivity (Rs) of 1 × 10⁴ Ω or more and less than 1 × 10¹¹ Ω, as measured according to the provisions of IEC International Electrotechnical Commission 61340-5-1, 5-2. The range of this surface resistivity (Rs) value is also referred to as the electrostatic diffusivity region. Hereinafter, a material with electrostatic diffusivity will also be referred to as an electrostatic diffusivity material.

[0090] As a material with electrostatic diffusion properties, resins (e.g., thermosetting resins) or ceramics located in the electrostatic diffusion region can be used. For example, it can be formed into various shapes such as protruding shapes (pin shapes) or sheet shapes (plate shapes), roller shapes (cylindrical shapes) with two-dimensional expansion, so that the electrostatic diffusion material can easily contact the component to be eluted (the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100).

[0091] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating the structure of an antistatic device in the film thickness measuring apparatus 3080 according to an embodiment, as an example 5. As an example of the structure of the antistatic device, a component with a protruding shape (pin shape) formed from an electrostatically diffusing material 504 is shown.

[0092] An antistatic manipulator 501 capable of moving (moving up and down) an electrostatic diffusing material 504 along the vertical direction is provided in the handling chamber 302. The antistatic manipulator 501 includes: an antistatic hand portion 503 for holding a protruding (pin-shaped) component formed from the electrostatic diffusing material 504; and an actuator 502 for moving the antistatic hand portion 503 along the vertical direction. Multiple protruding (pin-shaped) components formed from the electrostatic diffusing material 504 are arranged two-dimensionally within the holding surface of the antistatic hand portion 503 to contact the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100. In this embodiment, the antistatic manipulator 501 having protruding (pin-shaped) components formed from the electrostatic diffusing material 504 is referred to as an antistatic device. Figure 7 The structure shown illustrates an example where the static eliminator 501 is disposed on the upper surface of the transport chamber 302, but it is not limited to this example. For instance, the static eliminator 501 may also be disposed on the lower surface of the transport chamber 302 to avoid interference with the transport robot 302a.

[0093] exist Figure 7As an example of the substrate transport path after film deposition, an example is shown where an antistatic device (antistatic robot 501) is installed in the transport chamber 302. Specifically, at a position on the substrate transport path after film deposition, the antistatic device (antistatic robot 501) actuates the actuator 502 to lower the antistatic hand 503 vertically. By lowering the antistatic hand 503, a protruding (pin-shaped) component formed of an electrostatic diffusing material 504 comes into contact with the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100, thereby removing the potential carried on the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100.

[0094] <Example 6 of the structure of an antistatic device: An example using a static-diffusing material: sheet shape>

[0095] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating a structural example 6 of the static eliminator in the film thickness measuring apparatus 3080 of the embodiment. As a structural example 6 of the static eliminator, an example is shown of a sheet-shaped (plate-shaped) component with two-dimensional expandability formed from an electrostatically diffusing material 504.

[0096] and Figure 7 Similarly, an antistatic manipulator 501 is installed in the handling chamber 302, capable of moving the static-diffusing material 504 vertically (up and down). The structure of the antistatic manipulator 501 is similar to... Figure 7 Basically the same, but... Figure 8 In the structural example 6 shown, a sheet-shaped component formed of electrostatic diffusing material 504 is held in the antistatic hand portion 503 via a sheet holding member 505. The sheet-shaped component with two-dimensional expandability formed of electrostatic diffusing material 504 is held in the holding surface of the antistatic hand portion 503 in such a way that it can make surface contact with the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100.

[0097] exist Figure 8 As an example of the substrate transport path after film deposition, an example is shown where an antistatic device (antistatic robot 501) is installed in the transport chamber 302. Specifically, at a position on the substrate transport path after film deposition, the antistatic device (antistatic robot 501) actuates the actuator 502 to lower the antistatic hand 503 vertically downward. By lowering the antistatic hand 503, a sheet-shaped component with two-dimensional expansion formed of electrostatic diffusing material 504 comes into contact with the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100, thereby removing the potential carried by the substrate 100.

[0098] <Example 7 of the structure of an antistatic device: An example using a static-diffusing material: Roller shape>

[0099] Figure 9This is a diagram illustrating the structure of an antistatic device in the film thickness measuring apparatus 3080 according to an embodiment, as an example 7. As an example of the structure of the antistatic device, a roller-shaped (cylindrical) component formed from an electrostatically diffusing material 504 is shown.

[0100] and Figure 7 and Figure 8 Similarly, an antistatic robot 501 is provided in the handling chamber 302, capable of moving (moving up and down) a roller-shaped (cylindrical) component formed of electrostatic diffusing material 504 along the vertical direction. The device structure of the antistatic robot 501 is similar to... Figure 7 and Figure 8 Basically the same, but Figure 9 In the structural example 7 shown, a roller-shaped (cylindrical) component formed of electrostatic diffusing material 504 is disposed within the holding surface of the antistatic hand 503 in such a way that it can make surface contact with the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100. A roller holding member 506 is provided on the holding surface of the antistatic hand 503. The roller holding member 506 holds the roller-shaped (cylindrical) component formed of electrostatic diffusing material 504 so that it can rotate. The antistatic hand 503 of the antistatic robot 501 holds the roller-shaped (cylindrical) component formed of electrostatic diffusing material 504 via the roller holding member 506.

[0101] exist Figure 9 As an example of a substrate transport path after film deposition, an example is shown where an antistatic device (antistatic robot 501) is installed in the transport chamber 302. Specifically, at a position on the substrate transport path after film deposition, the antistatic device (antistatic robot 501) actuates the actuator 502 to lower the antistatic hand 503 vertically. The descent of the antistatic hand 503 causes a roller-shaped (cylindrical) component formed of electrostatic diffusing material 504 to contact the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100, thereby removing the potential carried by the substrate 100. With the roller-shaped (cylindrical) component formed of electrostatic diffusing material 504 in contact with the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100, the transport robot 302a is moved horizontally, causing the roller-shaped (cylindrical) component formed of electrostatic diffusing material 504 to rotate on the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100, thereby removing the potential carried by the substrate 100.

[0102] exist Figures 7-9 In the structural examples 5 to 7 of the described static eliminator, an example of installing a static eliminator robot 501 in the transport chamber 302 was described. However, it is not limited to this example. The static eliminator robot 501 can also be installed, for example, on the substrate transport path after film formation, such as in the buffer chamber 306 or the rotary chamber 307 on the downstream side.

[0103] <Example 8 of the structure of an antistatic device: Example of using a static-diffusing material: substrate support>

[0104] In structural examples 5 to 7 of the static eliminator, an example was described in which an electrostatic diffusing material 504 was provided in the static eliminator hand portion 503 of the static eliminator manipulator 501. In structural example 8 of the static eliminator, an example was described in which a substrate support portion 62, which contacts the film-forming surface of the substrate 100 at its periphery, and a substrate support portion 63, which contacts the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100, were constructed from an electrostatic diffusing material. Figure 10 This is a diagram illustrating the structure of the static elimination device in the film thickness measuring apparatus 3080 of the embodiment, as shown in Example 8.

[0105] exist Figure 10 In this embodiment, the base portion 61 holds the substrate support portions 62 and 63. Additionally, the actuator 160 moves the base portion 61 along the horizontal direction (Y direction). In this embodiment, the substrate support portions 62 and 63, the base portion 61, and the actuator 160, all made of an electrostatically diffusing material, are referred to as an electrostatic discharge device.

[0106] The basic structure of the film thickness measuring device 3080 has the same characteristics as... Figure 2A The film thickness measuring device 3080 described herein has the same structure, but differs in that it includes an antistatic device (61-63, 160) instead of the substrate support portion 15. The base portion 61, substrate support portions 62, 63, and actuator 160 are configured as at least a left-right pair. It should be noted that the base portion 61, substrate support portions 62, 63, and actuator 160 may also be added in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface, surrounding the periphery of the substrate 100. The antistatic device (61-63, 160) also functions as a substrate support as a whole.

[0107] The actuator 160 causes the base portion 61 and the substrate support portions 62 and 63 to move relative to the substrate 100 that has been moved into the chamber 10 of the film thickness measuring device 3080 in a horizontal direction. Figure 10 This diagram schematically illustrates the operation of the base portion 61 and the base plate support portions 62 and 63 in the static elimination device.

[0108] The substrate 100 is moved into the chamber 10 of the film thickness measuring device 3080 in the downstream transfer chamber 308 by the handling robot 307a in the rotary chamber 307. Figure 10As shown in ST1, by the action of the actuator 160, the base portion 61 and the substrate support portions 62 and 63 on the left side of the paper move in the direction of arrow S1 and come into contact with the left end of the substrate 100. In addition, by the action of the actuator 160, the base portion 61 and the substrate support portions 62 and 63 on the left side of the paper move in the direction of arrow S3 and move away from the left end of the substrate 100.

[0109] Similarly, by the action of the actuator 160, the base portion 61 and the substrate support portions 62 and 63 on the right side of the paper move in the direction of arrow S2 and come into contact with the right end of the substrate 100. In addition, by the action of the actuator 160, the base portion 61 and the substrate support portions 62 and 63 on the right side of the paper move in the direction of arrow S4 and separate from the right end of the substrate 100.

[0110] The substrate support portions 62 and 63, formed from an electrostatically diffusing material, function as a pair of leaf springs (clamping members). The substrate support portion 62 functions as a leaf spring that applies force vertically upward, and the substrate support portion 63 functions as a leaf spring that applies force vertically downward. The upper and lower substrate support portions 62 and 63 come into contact when the forces acting on them are balanced.

[0111] like Figure 10 As shown in ST2, the left and right base portions 61 and substrate support portions 62 and 63 move in the directions of arrows S1 and S2 and come into contact with the end of the substrate 100. When the movement in the directions of arrows S1 and S2 is advanced due to the action of the actuator 160, the left end of the substrate 100 is clamped between the substrate support portions 62 and 63 on the left side of the paper, as shown by the up and down arrows. Similarly, the right end of the substrate 100 is clamped between the substrate support portions 62 and 63 on the right side of the paper, as shown by the up and down arrows.

[0112] The left and right substrate support portions 62 and 63 are formed of an electrostatically diffusing material. The substrate 100 is sandwiched between the substrate support portions 62 and 63 at its left and right ends, thereby bringing the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100 into contact with the substrate support portion 63. As a component formed of an electrostatically diffusing material, the substrate support portion 63, while supporting the periphery of the substrate 100, contacts the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100. By contacting the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100, the substrate support portion 63, being an electrostatically diffusing material, can remove the potential of the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100.

[0113] exist Figure 10 In the structural example 8 shown, an example of substrate support portions 62 and 63 being formed from an electrostatic diffusing material is shown. However, when performing static elimination on the adsorption surface 100a, it is sufficient to form the substrate support portion 63 from an electrostatic diffusing material.

[0114] To facilitate the insertion of the left and right ends of the substrate 100 between the substrate supports 62 and 63, a taper can be formed at the ends of the substrate supports 62 and 63. Alternatively, the cross-sectional shape can be formed with curvature, without being limited to a taper. By forming a taper or curvature at the ends of the substrate supports 62 and 63, the ends of the substrate 100 can be easily guided between the substrate supports 62 and 63 along the taper or curvature.

[0115] In structural example 8, by bringing the substrate support portion 63 formed of an electrostatically diffusing material into contact with the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100, the potential of the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100 can also be removed on the substrate transport path after film formation.

[0116] With the substrate 100 clamped between its two ends by the left and right substrate support portions 62 and 63 (substrate support state), the electrostatic chuck 11 moves vertically downward and approaches the adsorption surface 100a by the action of the chuck moving portion 12.

[0117] The electrostatic chuck 11 descends to the position for film thickness measurement via the chuck moving part 12. Based on the movement of the chuck moving part 12, the electrostatic chuck 11 presses against the substrate 100 supported by the left and right substrate support parts 62 and 63. Furthermore, the electrostatic chuck 11 uses electrostatic force to attract the substrate 100 while it is pressed against it. Thus, the adsorption area of ​​the electrostatic chuck 11, where the electrode placement part 112 is provided, makes seamless contact with the substrate 100.

[0118] According to the film thickness measuring device 3080 of this embodiment, static electricity can be removed from the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100 before the substrate 100 comes into contact with the electrostatic chuck 11 by means of the structure of the static electricity removal device.

[0119] <Measurement of the surface potential of substrate 100>

[0120] The film thickness measuring apparatus 3080 of this embodiment includes a potential measuring device for measuring the potential (surface potential) of the substrate 100 along the substrate transport path after film deposition. The potential measuring device is a surface potentiometer capable of operation in a vacuum environment, which measures the potential (surface potential) of the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100 in a non-contact manner along the substrate transport path after film deposition. Here, the substrate transport path after film deposition is the same as the examples described in the static eliminator (Structural Examples 1 to 8).

[0121] Figure 11 This diagram shows an example configuration of the potential measuring device 1101 (surface potentiometer). Figure 11As an example of a substrate transport path after film deposition, an example is shown where a potential measuring device 1101 is provided in the transport chamber 302. Specifically, an example is shown where the potential measuring device 1101 (surface potentiometer) is provided near the outlet of the gate valve 361 in the transport chamber 302 through which the film-deposited substrate 100 is transported from the film deposition chamber 303 to the transport chamber 302. Multiple potential measuring devices 1101 are arranged along the width direction of the gate valve 361. On the substrate transport path after film deposition, where the film-deposited substrate 100 is transported from the film deposition chamber 303 by the transport robot 302a, the potential (surface potential) on the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100 is measured by the potential measuring device 1101. It should be noted that... Figure 11 The example shown is of a potential measuring device 1101 installed in the transport chamber 302, but it is not limited to this example. For example, as long as it is located upstream of the static elimination device as shown in Structural Examples 1 to 8, the potential measuring device 1101 (surface potentiometer) can also be arranged in the buffer chamber 306 or the rotary chamber 307 downstream of the transport chamber 302.

[0122] The potential measuring device 1101 (surface potentiometer) is positioned opposite the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100 being transported by the handling robot 302a, and is located at a predetermined distance above the adsorption surface 100a in the vertical direction (Z direction), enabling non-contact measurement. The "predetermined distance" for setting the potential measuring device 1101 (surface potentiometer) is preferably, for example, about 30mm to 60mm. By changing the predetermined distance, the measurement range (measurement spot diameter) of the potential measuring device 1101 (surface potentiometer) can be changed. For example, as the predetermined distance increases, the measurement range is set wider, and as the predetermined distance decreases, the measurement range is set narrower.

[0123] The potential measuring device 1101 inputs the measured surface potential results to the control device 310. The control device 310 averages the surface potential measurement results input from multiple potential measuring devices 1101. Furthermore, the control device 310 controls the voltage applied to the electrode portion of the electrostatic chuck 11 in the film thickness measuring device 3080 for adsorbing the substrate 100 based on the input measurement results (measured potential). The voltage applied to the electrode portion of the electrostatic chuck 11 is set to a predetermined voltage (initial set voltage) by means of the voltage V of the power supply (not shown) connected to the control device 310. The control device 310 adjusts the voltage applied to the electrostatic chuck 11 to make the adsorption force for adsorbing the substrate 100 uniform.

[0124] <Processing flow of potential measuring device 1101 and control devices 310, 311>

[0125] Figure 12 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow of the potential measuring device 1101 and the control devices 310 and 311. In S101, the potential measuring device 1101 measures the surface potential of the substrate 100 after film deposition. The potential measuring device 1101 can measure the surface potential of all substrates 100 in a specified batch, or it can measure the first N substrates (N is an integer) constituting the batch. The control devices 310 and 311 perform film thickness measurement control based on their measurement results.

[0126] In S102, control devices 310 and 311 perform control of the film thickness measurement process based on the measurement results of the potential measuring device 1101. In this embodiment, the control of the film thickness measurement process may include the following methods: (1) adjusting the voltage (adsorption voltage) applied to the electrostatic chuck 11 of the film thickness measuring device 3080; (2) removing static electricity based on the static eliminator; (3) controlling the film thickness measuring device 3080 in a manner that the film thickness measurement process is not performed on the substrate 100 after film formation. That is, the control of the film thickness measurement process in this embodiment may include at least the three methods (1) to (3).

[0127] As a control method for film thickness measurement (1), the control device 311 can adjust the voltage applied to the electrostatic chuck 11 of the film thickness measurement device 3080 based on the measurement results of the potential measurement device 1101 so that the adsorption force adsorbed on the substrate 100 is equal.

[0128] Alternatively, as a control method for film thickness measurement (2), the control device 310 can control the static eliminator (Structure Examples 1 to 8) based on the measurement results of the potential measuring device 1101. For example, the control device 310 can change the irradiation time of the static eliminator (ion generator) 350 irradiating the adsorption surface 100a (extend or shorten the irradiation time). In addition, the control device 310 can also control the static eliminator (static eliminator robot 501) to change the contact time between the electrostatic diffusing material and the adsorption surface 100a (extend or shorten the contact time).

[0129] Alternatively, as a control method for the film thickness measurement process (3), the control device 311 may also control the film thickness measurement device 3080 without performing film thickness measurement processing on the measured substrate 100 based on the measurement results of the potential measurement device 1101. For example, if the potential of the adsorption surface measured by the potential measurement device 1101 exceeds the upper limit potential of the level at which film thickness measurement processing can be performed, the control device 311 may exclude the substrate whose potential of the adsorption surface has been measured from the target substrates for film thickness measurement processing (hereinafter, the exclusion from the target substrates for film thickness measurement processing will also be referred to as "substrate omission").

[0130] In addition to the methods described above, the control of the film thickness measurement process can also involve control devices 310 and 311 adjusting the voltage applied to the electrostatic chuck 11 and removing static electricity based on the static removal device. Without exceeding the upper limit potential, based on the magnitude of the measured potential, either the adjustment of the voltage applied to the electrostatic chuck 11 or the static removal based on the static removal device can be combined, or either method can be used.

[0131] As for controlling the film thickness measurement process, the control devices 310 and 311 in this embodiment can independently perform the adjustment of the voltage applied to the electrostatic chuck 11 (mode (1)), the control of the static eliminator (mode (2)), and the exclusion of the substrate from the film thickness measurement process (substrate omitted) (mode (3)). Alternatively, both the adjustment of the voltage applied to the electrostatic chuck 11 and the control of the static eliminator (modes 1 and 2) can be controlled. It should be noted that when the substrate to be measured is excluded from the film thickness measurement process, the static eliminator treatment may not be performed.

[0132] As a control method for film thickness measurement (method (1)), when the adjustment of the voltage applied to the electrostatic chuck 11 is controlled, a process can be performed that reflects the measurement results measured on the substrate 100 after film deposition into the applied voltage of the electrostatic chuck 11 (feedforward control in applied voltage adjustment). For example, if the surface potential obtained based on the measurement results of the first N sheets constituting the batch is lower than the upper limit potential that serves as a reference, for the N+1 sheets and beyond, the adjustment of the voltage applied to the electrostatic chuck 11 can be controlled without measuring the surface potential.

[0133] Furthermore, as a control method for film thickness measurement (method (2)), when performing static elimination processing based on static elimination devices (350, 501), a process can be performed that reflects the measurement results obtained for the substrate 100 after film deposition into the static elimination processing (feedforward control in static elimination processing). For example, if the surface potential obtained based on the measurement results of the first N sheets constituting the batch is lower than the upper limit potential that serves as a reference, the static elimination processing can be controlled without measuring the surface potential for the N+1th and subsequent substrates. Alternatively, feedforward control can be performed by combining methods 1 and 2 of film thickness measurement processing control.

[0134] According to the film thickness measuring apparatus 3080 of this embodiment, the voltage applied to the electrode portion of the electrostatic chuck 11 can be controlled based on the surface potential of the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100 measured before the substrate 100 after film formation comes into contact with the electrostatic chuck 11 of the film thickness measuring apparatus 3080. Alternatively, the static elimination process of the static elimination device (350, 501) can be controlled based on the measurement result of the surface potential of the adsorption surface 100a. Alternatively, the substrate 100 with a measured surface potential can be excluded from the film thickness measuring process based on the measurement result of the potential measuring device 1101. Alternatively, the following process can be performed: adjusting the voltage applied to the electrostatic chuck 11 and controlling the static elimination based on the static elimination device.

[0135] <Overall processing flow of a film thickness measurement system with film thickness measurement device>

[0136] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating the overall processing flow of a film deposition system equipped with a film thickness measuring device, wherein the film thickness measuring device measures the thickness of the film formed on a substrate through a film deposition process. This flowchart shows an outline of the process by which the film thickness measuring device 3080 performs a film thickness measuring process on a substrate 100 to which the film deposition apparatus 1 is deposited.

[0137] S201 is a pretreatment step. In this step, pretreatment for film formation is performed. S202 is an adsorption step in the film forming apparatus 1. For example, the control device 314 raises the substrate support unit 6 supporting the substrate 100 to a predetermined position. The control device 314 generates an adsorption force by applying a changed voltage to the electrode portion of the electrostatic chuck 150 of the film forming apparatus 1, thereby adsorbing the substrate 100 onto the electrostatic chuck 150.

[0138] S203 is the film deposition process. The control device 314 brings the substrate 100, which has been aligned in preparation, into contact with the mask 101. Next, the control device 314 lowers the plate unit 119, and uses the magnetic force of the magnet plate 111 to make the substrate 100 and the mask 101 fit more tightly. In this state, the control device 314 uses the film deposition unit to deposit a vapor deposition material onto the substrate 100.

[0139] S204 is the peeling process. The control device 314 peels the substrate 100 from the electrostatic chuck 150 by stopping the application of voltage to the electrode portion of the electrostatic chuck 150 of the film forming apparatus 1. It should be noted that the control device 314 may also reduce the voltage applied to the electrode portion to such a degree that the electrostatic chuck 150 can no longer maintain the adhesion of the substrate 100, instead of stopping the application of voltage to the electrode portion.

[0140] S205 is the transport process. In this process, the substrate 100 is transported from the film forming apparatus 1 in the film forming chamber 303 to the transport chamber 302 by the transport robot 302a. In this process, the film-formed substrate 100 is transported along the path (substrate transport path) until it comes into contact with the electrostatic chuck 11 of the film thickness measuring device 3080.

[0141] S206 is the procedure for measuring surface potential. For example, in... Figure 11 As described herein, the potential measuring device 1101 (surface potentiometer) measures the potential (surface potential) at the adsorption surface 100a of the substrate 100 in a non-contact manner on the substrate transport path after film formation, carried by the transport robot 302a.

[0142] In S207, the control device 310 determines whether the potential of the adsorption surface measured by the potential measuring device 1101 exceeds the upper limit potential of the level at which film thickness measurement processing can be performed. If the potential of the adsorption surface exceeds the upper limit potential (S207 - Yes), the substrate whose potential of the adsorption surface is measured is excluded from the target substrate of film thickness measurement processing, and the process is advanced to the transport step in S216 and the process ends. This process corresponds to the control method (3) of film thickness measurement processing. On the other hand, if the potential of the adsorption surface does not exceed the upper limit potential (S207 - No), the process is advanced to S208A.

[0143] S208A to S208C are steps that determine the relationship between the surface potential of the adsorption surface measured by the potential measuring device 1101 and three different threshold potentials (first threshold, second threshold, and third threshold). The relationship between the thresholds is: first threshold < second threshold < third threshold < upper limit potential. That is, when the surface potential is less than the upper limit potential, the combination of treatments in the adjustment steps (S209, S212) and the static elimination steps (S210, S211), which will be described later, may differ based on the magnitude of the surface potential of the adsorption surface measured by the potential measuring device 1101.

[0144] S208A is the first determination step. If the surface potential of the adsorption surface measured by the potential measuring device 1101 is less than the first threshold (S208A - Yes), the process proceeds to S213. This situation occurs when the measured value of the surface potential is extremely small. Without going through the adjustment step of adjusting the adsorption voltage and the static removal step of static removal treatment based on the static removal device (Structure Examples 1 to 8), the process proceeds to the adsorption step (S213).

[0145] On the other hand, if the surface potential of the adsorption surface is above the first threshold (S208A - No), the process proceeds to S208B.

[0146] S208B is the second determination step. If the surface potential of the adsorption surface measured by the potential measuring device 1101 is above the first threshold and below the second threshold (S208B - Yes), the process proceeds to S209.

[0147] S209 is the adjustment process. In the adjustment process, the adsorption voltage applied to the electrode portion of the electrostatic chuck 11 in the film thickness measuring device 3080 is adjusted. The process of adjusting the adsorption voltage corresponds to the control (mode (1)) of the film thickness measuring process. The control device 311 can adjust the voltage applied to the electrostatic chuck 11 of the film thickness measuring device 3080 based on the measurement results of the potential measuring device 1101, so that the adsorption force adsorbed on the substrate 100 is equal. When the process in the adjustment process (S209) is completed, the process is advanced to S213 (adsorption process) without going through the static electricity removal process.

[0148] On the other hand, if the surface potential of the adsorption surface is above the second threshold (S208B - No), the process proceeds to S208C.

[0149] S208C is the third determination step. If the surface potential of the adsorption surface measured by the potential measuring device 1101 is above the second threshold and below the third threshold (S208C - Yes), the process proceeds to S210.

[0150] S210 is the static elimination process. In this process, as a pretreatment for the film thickness measurement process, static elimination treatment based on the static elimination device (Structure Example 1 to Structure Example 8) is performed on the substrate transport path. The control device 310 can control the static elimination device (Structure Example 1 to Structure Example 8) based on the measurement results of the potential measuring device 1101. This process corresponds to the control (mode (2)) of the film thickness measurement process. In the film thickness measuring device 3080 of this embodiment, the static elimination treatment of the substrate 100 can be performed in advance before the substrate 100 contacts the electrostatic chuck 11 of the film thickness measuring device 3080. When the treatment in the static elimination process (S210) is completed, the process is advanced to S213 (adsorption process) without going through the adjustment process.

[0151] On the other hand, if the surface potential of the adsorption surface is above the third threshold (S208C - No), the process proceeds to S211. S211 is an antistatic process, which is a pretreatment for the film thickness measurement process. An antistatic process based on an antistatic device (Structure Examples 1 to 8) is performed on the substrate transport path. The processing of this process corresponds to the control of the film thickness measurement process (method (2)). In this process, the same processing as described in S210 is performed. When the processing in S211 (antistatic process) is completed, the process proceeds to S212.

[0152] S212 is an adjustment step for adjusting the adsorption voltage applied to the electrode portion of the electrostatic chuck 11 in the film thickness measuring device 3080. The process of adjusting the adsorption voltage corresponds to the control (mode (1)) of the film thickness measuring process. The control device 311 can adjust the voltage applied to the electrostatic chuck 11 of the film thickness measuring device 3080 based on the measurement results of the potential measuring device 1101, so that the adsorption force adsorbed on the substrate 100 is equal. When the process in the adjustment step (S212) is completed, the process is advanced to S213 (adsorption step).

[0153] When the surface potential of the adsorption surface is above the third threshold (S208C - No), although it is a potential lower than the upper limit potential, it is a case where the measured value of the surface potential is extremely large. In this case, in S211 and S212, as a control for film thickness measurement, a process combining method (2) and method (1) is performed.

[0154] S213 is the adsorption process in the film thickness measuring apparatus 3080. The control device 311 controls the chuck moving part 12 to move the electrostatic chuck 11 toward the substrate 100 supported by the substrate support part 15. The control device 311 generates an adsorption force by applying a predetermined voltage to the electrode part of the electrostatic chuck 11 of the film thickness measuring apparatus 3080, thereby adsorbing the substrate 100 onto the electrostatic chuck 11.

[0155] The prescribed voltage applied to the electrode portion of the electrostatic chuck 11 may vary depending on the determination result of the surface potential (S208A to S208C). For example, if the determination result of the surface potential is S208A - Yes or S208C - Yes, a pre-set initial adsorption voltage can be applied to the electrode portion. In this case, the initial adsorption voltage can be applied to the electrode portion without changing the adsorption voltage.

[0156] For example, if the surface potential determination result is S208B - Yes or S208C - No, the adsorption voltage adjusted in the adjustment steps of S209 and S212 can be applied to the electrode. In this case, the voltage obtained by adjusting the initial adsorption voltage based on the magnitude of the surface potential can be applied to the electrode as the adsorption voltage.

[0157] In this way, the film thickness measurement process is controlled according to the magnitude of the surface potential of the adsorption surface of the substrate measured before the substrate comes into contact with the electrostatic chuck of the film thickness measurement device (methods (1) to (3)), thereby enabling higher precision film thickness measurement in the film thickness measurement process of S214, which will be described later.

[0158] S214 is the film thickness measurement process. Using the substrate 100, which has been pre-de-staticated in S210 or S211, and the electrostatic chuck 11 of the film thickness measurement device 3080, the thickness of the film formed on the substrate 100 is measured by the film thickness measurement device 3080. The film thickness measurement process performed by the film thickness measurement device 3080 is as previously described. Figure 2A , Figure 2B As explained. To avoid repetition, details of the film thickness measurement process are omitted.

[0159] S215 is the peeling process. The control device 311 peels the substrate 100 from the electrostatic chuck 11 by stopping the application of voltage to the electrode portion of the electrostatic chuck 11 of the film thickness measuring device 3080. It should be noted that the control device 311 may also reduce the voltage applied to the electrode portion to such a degree that the electrostatic chuck 11 can no longer maintain the adhesion of the substrate 100, instead of stopping the application of voltage to the electrode portion.

[0160] S216 is the transport process. In this process, the substrate 100, whose film thickness measurement has been completed, is transported from the transfer chamber 308 to the downstream side by a transport robot configured on the downstream side. According to the measurement results of the potential measuring device 1101, if the potential of the adsorption surface of the substrate 100 exceeds the upper limit potential (S207 - Yes), as a control method (3) for the film thickness measurement process, the measurement process based on the film thickness measuring device 3080 is not performed, and instead the substrate 100 that has not undergone measurement process is transported from the transfer chamber 308 to the downstream side.

[0161] According to the above-described embodiments, the film thickness measurement process can be controlled based on the measurement results of the surface potential of the adsorption surface of the substrate, which is measured before the substrate comes into contact with the electrostatic chuck of the film thickness measurement device. This enables high-precision film thickness measurement.

[0162] <Other Implementation Methods>

[0163] The present invention can also be implemented by providing a program that implements one or more functions of the above embodiments to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and having the program read and executed by one or more processors in the computer of the system or device. Alternatively, it can be implemented by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0164] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the claims are appended to disclose the scope of the invention.

[0165] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-019617, filed on February 13, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0166] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0167] 1: Film forming device; 3080: Film thickness measuring device;

[0168] 11: Electrostatic chuck of the film thickness measuring device; 15: Electrostatic chuck of the film forming device;

[0169] 100: Substrate; 100a: Adsorption surface (substrate); 302a: Handling robot.

[0170] 307a: Handling robot; 310: Control device; 311: Control device

[0171] 350: Static eliminator (ion generator); 501: Static eliminator (static eliminator robotic arm).

[0172] 504: Electrostatically diffusing substance; 1101: Potentiometric measuring device

Claims

1. A film-forming system comprising a film thickness measuring device for measuring the thickness of a film formed on a substrate by a film-forming process, wherein the film-forming system is characterized in that, The film thickness measuring device includes: A measuring apparatus that measures the thickness of the membrane; An electrostatic chuck uses electrostatic force to adsorb the substrate, which is the object to be measured by the measuring mechanism. A potential measuring mechanism measures the potential of the adsorption surface of the substrate to be adsorbed onto the electrostatic chuck along the transport path before the substrate is adsorbed onto the electrostatic chuck. as well as A control mechanism that controls the film thickness measurement process of the measuring mechanism based on the measured potential.

2. The film-forming system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control mechanism controls the voltage applied to the electrostatic chuck based on the measurement results of the potential measuring mechanism.

3. The film-forming system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The film-forming system also includes an antistatic mechanism for removing static electricity from the adsorption surface of the substrate along the transport path. The control mechanism controls the static elimination mechanism based on the measurement results of the potential measuring mechanism.

4. The film-forming system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The static elimination mechanism includes an ion generator that irradiates the adsorption surface of the substrate with induced ionization ultraviolet light.

5. The film-forming system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The static elimination mechanism eliminates static electricity from the adsorption surface by bringing a component formed of a material with electrostatic diffusion properties into contact with the adsorption surface along the transport path, wherein the material with electrostatic diffusion properties has a density of 1×10⁻⁶. 4 Ω or higher and less than 1×10 11 Ω surface resistance.

6. The film-forming system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The static eliminator causes multiple protruding or sheet-shaped components, formed from the electrostatically diffusing material, to contact the adsorption surface on the transport path, thereby eliminating static electricity from the adsorption surface. The sheet shape has two-dimensional expandability.

7. The film-forming system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The static elimination mechanism includes a substrate support mechanism that contacts the adsorption surface of the substrate when supporting the periphery of the substrate, and serves as a component formed from the material having electrostatic diffusion properties.

8. The film-forming system according to claim 1, characterized in that, If the potential of the adsorption surface measured by the potential measuring mechanism exceeds the upper limit of the level at which film thickness measurement processing can be performed, the control mechanism will exclude the substrate from the substrate for which the potential of the adsorption surface is measured from the substrate for film thickness measurement processing.

9. The film-forming system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The film-forming apparatus used for the aforementioned film-forming process is an upward deposition type film-forming apparatus. The surface of the substrate at its vertically upper side is the adsorption surface, and the surface of the substrate at its vertically lower side is the film-forming surface. The film-forming system forms a film of vapor-deposited material of a predetermined pattern on the film-forming surface of the substrate through a mask.

10. The film-forming system according to claim 9, characterized in that, The film-forming system has the following characteristics: A transport chamber, wherein a transport mechanism for transporting the substrate is disposed; as well as Multiple film-forming chambers are provided around the transport chamber to perform the film-forming process on the substrate. The film-forming device is respectively arranged in the plurality of film-forming chambers.

11. The film-forming system according to claim 9, characterized in that, The film-forming device includes an electrostatic chuck that uses electrostatic force for adsorption. The electrostatic chuck uses the vertically upper side of the substrate undergoing the film-forming process as the adsorption surface for adsorption.

12. The film-forming system according to claim 9, characterized in that, The measuring apparatus includes: A light-emitting mechanism that directs light from a light source toward the film-forming surface; A light-receiving mechanism that receives reflected light from the film-forming surface; A beam splitting mechanism that splits the reflected light into beams and measures the intensity of the light by wavelength; as well as The computing mechanism calculates the thickness of the film based on the intensity of the light.

13. A film-forming system comprising a film thickness measuring device for measuring the thickness of a film formed on a substrate by a film-forming process, the film-forming system being characterized in that, The film thickness measuring device includes: A measuring apparatus that measures the thickness of the membrane; An electrostatic chuck uses electrostatic force to adsorb the substrate, which is the object to be measured by the measuring mechanism. A potential measuring mechanism measures the potential of the adsorption surface of the substrate to be adsorbed onto the electrostatic chuck before the substrate is adsorbed onto the electrostatic chuck. as well as A control mechanism that controls the film thickness measurement process of the measuring mechanism based on the measured potential.

14. A method for measuring film thickness, comprising a film thickness measuring device equipped with a measuring mechanism and an electrostatic chuck, wherein, The measuring mechanism measures the thickness of a film formed on a substrate through a film-forming process. The electrostatic chuck uses electrostatic force to attract the substrate, which is the object of the measuring mechanism. The film thickness measurement method is characterized in that... include: In the potential measurement process, the potential of the adsorption surface of the substrate to be adsorbed onto the electrostatic chuck is measured along the transport path before the substrate is adsorbed onto the electrostatic chuck; and The control process controls the film thickness measurement process of the measuring mechanism based on the measured potential.

15. A method for measuring film thickness, comprising a film thickness measuring device equipped with a measuring mechanism and an electrostatic chuck, wherein, The measuring mechanism measures the thickness of a film formed on a substrate through a film-forming process. The electrostatic chuck uses electrostatic force to attract the substrate, which is the object of the measuring mechanism. The film thickness measurement method is characterized in that... include: In the potential measurement process, before the substrate is adsorbed onto the electrostatic chuck, the potential of the adsorption surface of the substrate to be adsorbed onto the electrostatic chuck is measured; and The control process controls the film thickness measurement process of the measuring mechanism based on the measured potential.

16. A method for manufacturing an electronic device, characterized in that, include: The film-forming process involves forming a film on a substrate. as well as The film thickness measurement step uses the film thickness measurement method according to claim 14 or 15 to measure the thickness of the film formed by the film formation process.

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