Developing apparatus, developing system, developing method, electronic device, and storage medium

Abstract

The application provides a developing device, a developing system, a developing method, an electronic device and a storage medium. The developing device comprises a control unit, a conveying unit and a plurality of candidate developing units. The plurality of candidate developing units are adjacent to the conveying unit, and the conveying unit is communicatively connected to the control unit. The control unit is configured to obtain developing configuration information of a substrate to be processed, determine a target developing unit for developing the substrate to be processed from the plurality of candidate developing units according to the developing configuration information, and output a control signal indicating the target developing unit to the conveying unit. The plurality of candidate developing units comprise a first candidate developing unit and a second candidate developing unit. The developing solution used by the first candidate developing unit for developing is different from the developing solution used by the second candidate developing unit for developing. The conveying unit is configured to carry the substrate to be processed and convey the substrate to be processed to the target developing unit according to the control signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of developing technology, and in particular to a developing apparatus, developing system, developing method, electronic device, and storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] Developing equipment is a core component of semiconductor photolithography. It is primarily used to selectively remove unexposed / exposed areas of photoresist after exposure using a suitable chemical developer, thereby forming intricate circuit patterns on the substrate surface. It boasts high-precision patterning capabilities, excellent process uniformity, and broad compatibility, and is widely used in various fields such as optoelectronic device (e.g., display panel) manufacturing, chip manufacturing, and circuit packaging. However, the current architecture of developing equipment still requires optimization. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide an inkjet printing device to at least partially solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0004] This application provides a developing apparatus, including: a control unit, a conveying unit, and a plurality of candidate developing units. The plurality of candidate developing units are adjacent to the conveying unit, and the conveying unit and the control unit are connected by communication. The control unit is used to acquire developing configuration information of a substrate to be processed, determine the target developing unit for developing the substrate to be processed from the plurality of candidate developing units according to the developing configuration information, and output a control signal instructing the target developing unit to the conveying unit. The plurality of candidate developing units include a first candidate developing unit and a second candidate developing unit, wherein the developing solution used by the first candidate developing unit is different from the developing solution used by the second candidate developing unit. The conveying unit is used to carry the substrate to be processed and to convey the substrate to be processed to the target developing unit according to the control signal.

[0005] In some alternative embodiments, the development configuration information includes identification information of the candidate development unit that is set as the target development unit; or, the development configuration information includes the substrate type of the substrate to be processed, each substrate type corresponding to one of the candidate development units among the plurality of candidate development units; the control unit is configured to determine the candidate development unit corresponding to the substrate type of the substrate to be processed among the plurality of candidate development units as the target development unit according to the substrate type of the substrate to be processed.

[0006] In some alternative embodiments, the developing apparatus further includes a first cleaning unit adjacent to the first candidate developing unit and the second candidate developing unit, the first cleaning unit being used to clean the substrate to be processed after being processed by the first candidate developing unit and to clean the substrate to be processed after being processed by the second candidate developing unit.

[0007] In some alternative embodiments, the developing apparatus includes a coating unit, which includes a first coating head and a second coating head, wherein the photoresist output by the first coating head and the photoresist output by the second coating head are different; the coating unit is used to coat photoresist on the surface of an initial substrate through the first coating head or the second coating head to obtain a pre-substrate, wherein the substrate to be processed is obtained by exposure processing of the pre-substrate.

[0008] In some optional embodiments, the developing apparatus further includes a drying unit, which includes a heating unit and a cooling unit; the drying unit is used to dry the pre-substrate by the heating unit after the pre-substrate is obtained by the coating unit, and to cool the pre-substrate by the cooling unit after drying; preferably, the developing apparatus further includes a second cleaning unit, which is used to clean the initial substrate before coating the surface of the initial substrate with photoresist.

[0009] In some alternative embodiments, the developing apparatus includes a defect detection unit for detecting the thickness and / or uniformity of the photoresist on the pre-substrate.

[0010] This application also provides a developing system, including: an exposure device and a developing device as described in any of the above embodiments, wherein the exposure device is used to expose a pre-substrate coated with photoresist to obtain a substrate to be processed, and the developing device is used to develop the substrate to be processed.

[0011] This application embodiment also provides a developing method for a developing apparatus, the developing apparatus including: a conveying unit and a plurality of candidate developing units, wherein the conveying unit is adjacent to the plurality of candidate developing units; wherein the plurality of candidate developing units includes a first candidate developing unit and a second candidate developing unit, and the developing solution used by the first candidate developing unit during the developing process is different from the developing solution used by the second candidate developing unit during the developing process;

[0012] The developing method includes: acquiring developing configuration information of the substrate to be processed; determining a target developing unit for developing the substrate to be processed from a plurality of candidate developing units based on the developing configuration information; carrying the substrate to be processed through the transfer unit and transferring the substrate to be processed to the target developing unit among the plurality of candidate developing units; and developing the substrate to be processed through the target developing unit.

[0013] This application also provides an electronic device, including: a processor, a memory, a communication interface, and a communication bus, wherein the processor, the memory, and the communication interface communicate with each other through the communication bus; the memory is used to store at least one computer software, and the computer software causes the processor to execute the method described in any of the above embodiments.

[0014] This application also provides a computer storage medium storing a computer program thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the methods described in any of the above embodiments.

[0015] In this embodiment, the developing equipment includes a control unit, a transfer unit, and multiple candidate developing units. The candidate developing units are adjacent to the transfer unit, and a communication connection is established between the transfer unit and the control unit. The candidate developing units are used to develop the substrate to be processed. Furthermore, the candidate developing units include a first candidate developing unit and a second candidate developing unit. The developing solution used in the first candidate developing unit is different from the developing solution used in the second candidate developing unit. The control unit is used to acquire developing configuration information of the substrate to be processed, determine the target developing unit from the multiple candidate developing units based on the developing configuration information, and output a control signal instructing the target developing unit to the transfer unit. The transfer unit is used to carry the substrate to be processed and transfer it to the target developing unit according to the control signal. By using multiple developing units, such as the first and second candidate developing units with different developing solutions, a single developing equipment can meet the developing requirements of various photoresists, reducing the number of developing equipment required for production and thus lowering costs. Furthermore, the control unit and the transfer unit can quickly transfer the substrate to be processed to the target candidate developing unit. When multiple substrates with different photoresists need to be developed, the first candidate developing unit and the second candidate developing unit can be used as the target candidate developing units for two different substrates. Thus, the first candidate developing unit and the second candidate developing unit can simultaneously develop two substrates with different photoresists, saving the time of changing the developing solution and increasing the production capacity of the developing equipment. This not only solves the limitation of existing developing equipment that can only process a single type of photoresist, but also meets the user's needs for developing multiple types of photoresists and improves production efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a developing apparatus according to an optional embodiment of this application.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of another developing apparatus according to an optional embodiment of this application.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another developing apparatus according to an optional embodiment of this application.

[0020] Figure 4This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another developing apparatus according to an optional embodiment of this application.

[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another developing apparatus according to an optional embodiment of this application.

[0022] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a developing system according to an optional embodiment of this application.

[0023] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of a development method according to an optional embodiment of this application.

[0024] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to an optional embodiment of this application.

[0025] Figure label:

[0026] 10. Developing system; 100. Developing equipment; 110. Control unit; 120. Conveying unit; 131. First candidate developing unit; 132. Second candidate developing unit; 141. First cleaning unit; 142. Second cleaning unit; 150. Coating unit; 160. Drying unit; 170. Defect detection unit; 180. Transport unit; 200. Exposure equipment. Detailed Implementation

[0027] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art should fall within the protection scope of the embodiments of this application.

[0028] The terminology used in the embodiments of this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of this application. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” used in the embodiments of this application and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used in the embodiments of this application refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0029] It should be understood that in the description of the embodiments of this application, the terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the scheme of the embodiments of this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the embodiments of this application.

[0030] Furthermore, when an element or layer is referred to as being "on" another element or layer, "connected to," or "bonded to" another element or layer, the element or layer may be directly on the other element or layer, directly connected to, or directly bonded to the other element or layer, or there may be intermediate elements or layers. However, when an element or layer is referred to as being "directly on" another element or layer, "directly connected to," or "directly bonded to" another element or layer, there are no intermediate elements or layers.

[0031] The terms First, Second, etc., are used to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or parts, but these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or parts should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, and / or part from another element, component, region, layer, and / or part.

[0032] Unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0033] As described in the background section, the architecture of current developing equipment still needs optimization. Current developing equipment can only process a single type of photoresist, failing to meet the needs of developing other types of photoresist, thus greatly limiting its application.

[0034] This application provides a new developing apparatus to at least partially solve the above problems.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, the developing apparatus 100 provided in this application embodiment includes a control unit 110, a transmission unit 120 and a plurality of candidate developing units. The plurality of candidate developing units are adjacent to the transmission unit 120, and a communication connection is established between the transmission unit 120 and the control unit 110.

[0036] The candidate developing unit is used to develop the substrate to be processed, which is then fed to it. The developing process involves selectively removing photoresist from unexposed / exposed areas of the substrate using a developing solution, thereby forming a fine circuit pattern on the substrate surface. The specific principle can be found in relevant technologies and will not be elaborated here. Each candidate developing unit may include a solution supply module and a spraying module, and each candidate developing unit exists independently. The solution supply module may include a water tank holding the developing solution and a pump to draw the developing solution, facilitating the supply of developing solution to the spraying module. The spraying module may include spraying facilities such as nozzles to spray the developing solution onto the substrate to be processed, thereby developing the substrate. It should be noted that the candidate developing unit can be equipped with different types of developing solutions as needed, allowing it to be applicable to developing a wider range of photoresists. The candidate developing unit may also include a solution replacement module, which can be connected to the water tank holding the developing solution. This module uses one or more pumps to drain the developing solution from the tank and inject new developing solution into it.

[0037] The control unit 110 acquires the development configuration information of the substrate to be processed, determines the target development unit from multiple candidate development units based on the development configuration information, and outputs a control signal to the transfer unit 120 instructing the target development unit to transfer the substrate to be processed to the target development unit. The control signal controls the transfer unit 120 to transfer the substrate to be processed to the target development unit. The multiple candidate development units include a first candidate development unit 131 and a second candidate development unit 132. The developing solution used in the first candidate development unit 131 is different from the developing solution used in the second candidate development unit 132. The developing solution used in the first candidate development unit 131 can be TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide), and the developing solution used in the second candidate development unit 132 can be KOH (potassium hydroxide). The control unit 110 may include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), MCU (Micro Control Unit 110), or PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) to execute the above operations.

[0038] It should be noted that, in addition to the first and second developing units, the multiple developing units may also include other developing units, and different developing units use different developing solutions to meet diverse developing needs as much as possible. It should be understood that when the multiple developing units include only the first and second developing units, the control unit 110 is used to determine the target developing unit from the first and second developing units based on the developing configuration information. When the multiple developing units include other types of developing units besides the first and second developing units, the control unit 110 is used to determine the target developing unit from all the developing units based on the developing configuration information.

[0039] The development configuration information is used to indicate the candidate development unit among multiple candidate development units that will serve as the target development unit. In some optional embodiments, the development configuration information includes identification information of the candidate development unit set as the target development unit. It should be understood that the identification information of the candidate development unit corresponds one-to-one with the candidate development unit; for example, the identification information of the candidate development unit can be its code or number. After obtaining the development configuration information, the control unit 110 can determine the candidate development unit corresponding to the identification information included in the development configuration information. In this embodiment, the user can independently input the identification information set as the target development unit, thereby facilitating the user in setting the target development unit and improving the flexibility of the user in using the development equipment 100.

[0040] In some alternative embodiments, the developing configuration information includes the substrate type of the substrate to be processed, with each substrate type corresponding to one of a plurality of candidate developing units. That is, the substrate type can be matched one-to-one with the candidate developing units, and the candidate developing unit is used to process the substrate type and the substrate to be processed corresponding to that developing unit. It should be understood that the control unit 110 can specifically store or retrieve the correspondence between substrate types and candidate developing units from other memory, so as to determine the candidate developing unit corresponding to the substrate type according to the correspondence.

[0041] The control unit 110 is used to determine the candidate developing unit that corresponds to the substrate type of the substrate to be processed from among a plurality of candidate developing units as the target developing unit, based on the substrate type of the substrate to be processed.

[0042] In this embodiment, after the control unit 110 obtains the developing configuration information, it can automatically determine the target developing unit according to the substrate type of the substrate to be processed, so that the user no longer needs to set a specific target developing unit for each substrate to be processed, which can improve the automation level of the developing equipment 100 and improve the efficiency of the developing equipment 100 in developing the substrate to be processed.

[0043] The transfer unit 120 is used to carry the substrate to be processed and to transfer the substrate to the target developing unit according to the control signal. As one possible implementation, the transfer unit 120 may include a robotic arm, which picks up the substrate to be processed, enabling the transfer unit 120 to carry the substrate. After the robotic arm picks up the substrate, it can be moved to transfer the substrate to the target developing unit.

[0044] In this embodiment, the developing apparatus 100 includes a control unit 110, a transfer unit 120, and multiple candidate developing units. The candidate developing units are adjacent to the transfer unit 120, and a communication connection is established between the transfer unit 120 and the control unit 110. The candidate developing units are used to develop the substrate to be processed. Furthermore, the candidate developing units include a first candidate developing unit 131 and a second candidate developing unit 132. The developing solution used by the first candidate developing unit 131 is different from the developing solution used by the second candidate developing unit 132. The control unit 110 is used to acquire developing configuration information of the substrate to be processed, determine the target developing unit from the multiple candidate developing units based on the developing configuration information, and output a control signal instructing the target developing unit to the transfer unit 120. The transfer unit 120 is used to carry the substrate to be processed and transfer the substrate to the target developing unit according to the control signal. By using multiple developing units, such as the first candidate developing unit 131 and the second candidate developing unit 132, which employ different developing solutions, a single developing device 100 can meet the developing needs of various photoresists, reducing the number of developing devices 100 required for production and thus lowering costs. Furthermore, the control unit 110 and the transfer unit 120 can quickly transfer the substrate to be processed to the target candidate developing unit. When multiple substrates with different photoresists need to be developed, the first candidate developing unit 131 and the second candidate developing unit 132 can be used as target candidate developing units for two different substrates, respectively. This allows for simultaneous developing of the two substrates with different photoresists by the first candidate developing unit 131 and the second candidate developing unit 132, saving time on changing the developing solution and increasing the developing device's capacity. This overcomes the limitation of existing developing devices 100 that can only process a single type of photoresist, meeting users' needs for developing multiple types of photoresists and improving production efficiency.

[0045] like Figure 2 As shown, in some optional embodiments, the developing apparatus 100 includes a coating unit 150, which includes a first coating head and a second coating head, wherein the photoresist output by the first coating head and the photoresist output by the second coating head are different.

[0046] The coating unit 150 is used to coat photoresist on the surface of an initial substrate through a first coating head or a second coating head to obtain a pre-substrate. The substrate to be processed is obtained by exposing the pre-substrate. An exposure device 200, such as a lithography machine, can expose a specific area of ​​the photoresist on the pre-substrate according to a predetermined pattern, causing a change in the properties of the exposed photoresist to obtain the substrate to be processed. After the properties of the exposed photoresist change, its solubility will change. For example, for positive photoresist, the photosensitive component (such as diazonium quinone) in the exposed area decomposes under ultraviolet light, generating soluble substances such as carboxylic acids, which can then dissolve in the developer. For negative photoresist, the photosensitive component in the exposed area undergoes a cross-linking reaction, forming an insoluble structure, while the unexposed area remains soluble and can dissolve in the developer. The specific principle of the exposure process and the related exposure device 200 can be found in related technologies and will not be elaborated here. The developing device 100 in this embodiment may include a yellow light source, the wavelength of which is far from the photoresist's sensitive wavelength range. The photoresist-sensitive wavelength range refers to the wavelength range that may react with the photoresist. Irradiation with a yellow light source can prevent the photoresist on the pre-processed substrate and the substrate to be processed from reacting with light in the sensitive wavelength range (such as ultraviolet light), thus avoiding accidental exposure of the photoresist on the substrate to be processed due to stray light before development.

[0047] As a feasible implementation, the development configuration information may also include coating head information. This coating head information indicates the target coating head among the first and second coating heads for coating photoresist on the initial substrate surface. The control unit 110 can determine the target coating head based on the coating head information and output a control signal indicating the target coating head to the coating unit 150. The coating unit 150 then uses the target coating head from the first and second coating heads to coat photoresist on the initial substrate surface according to this control signal.

[0048] In this embodiment, the coating unit 150 can provide two types of photoresist to the initial substrate through the first coating head and the second coating head, thereby simultaneously meeting the coating requirements of two initial substrates with different photoresists. This makes the coating unit 150 applicable to more application scenarios, improves the utilization rate of the coating unit 150, and reduces production costs.

[0049] like Figure 2 As shown, in some optional embodiments, the developing apparatus 100 further includes a drying unit 160, which includes a heating unit and a cooling unit. The drying unit 160 is used to dry the prepared substrate by the heating unit after the prepared substrate is obtained by the coating unit 150, and to cool the prepared substrate by the cooling unit after drying.

[0050] The heating unit may include a hot plate (HP), which can be heated by a heating structure such as a heating wire. After the substrate is placed on the hot plate, the photoresist on the substrate can be dried by the hot plate. The cooling unit may include a cooling plate (CP), which can be cooled by air cooling or water cooling. After the substrate is placed on the cooling plate, the heat of the substrate can be removed by the cooling plate, thereby cooling the substrate.

[0051] In this embodiment, the developing apparatus 100 further includes a drying unit 160, which comprises a heating unit and a cooling unit. The drying unit 160 is used to dry the prepared substrate after it has been obtained from the coating unit 150 using the heating unit, and to cool the prepared substrate after drying using the cooling unit. This allows the drying unit 160 to quickly dry the photoresist on the prepared substrate, removing excess moisture and reducing microbubbles or pore defects generated during photoresist coating. The cooling unit further cools the prepared substrate, eliminating thermal stress in the photoresist, solidifying the photoresist structure, and improving the stability of the photoresist on the prepared substrate.

[0052] like Figure 3 As shown, in some optional embodiments, the developing apparatus 100 includes a defect detection unit 170 for detecting the thickness and / or uniformity of the photoresist on the prepared substrate.

[0053] The defect detection unit 170 may include an MCPD (Multi-Channel Photodetector), which can use transmitted light to optically detect multiple points of photoresist on the substrate and obtain the thickness of the photoresist at multiple points through the optical detection results, so as to detect whether the photoresist is flat.

[0054] The defect detection unit 170 may also include a Mura (non-uniformity / patina) detection unit, which detects the uniformity of the photoresist on the substrate. The Mura detection unit may include optical instruments such as an ellipsometer and a white light interferometer (WLI) to detect the Mura of the photoresist on the substrate, i.e., to detect the uniformity of the photoresist. Specific detection steps can be found in relevant technologies and will not be elaborated here.

[0055] In this embodiment of the application, the developing apparatus 100 includes a defect detection unit 170, which is used to detect the thickness and / or uniformity of the photoresist on the preparation substrate. The defect detection unit 170 can detect the photoresist on the preparation substrate from both the thickness and uniformity aspects, which can more accurately detect the quality of the photoresist on the preparation substrate and avoid missing defects of the preparation substrate.

[0056] like Figure 4 As shown, in some optional embodiments, the developing apparatus 100 further includes a first cleaning unit 141 adjacent to the first candidate developing unit 131 and the second candidate developing unit 132. The first cleaning unit 141 is used to clean the substrate to be processed after being processed by the first candidate developing unit 131 and to clean the substrate to be processed after being processed by the second candidate developing unit 132. As a feasible implementation, the first cleaning unit 141 may include components such as nozzles and water pumps, thereby supplying cleaning liquid to the nozzles through the water pumps and spraying the cleaning liquid onto the substrate to be processed through the nozzles to clean the substrate. Of course, the first cleaning unit 141 may be composed of other suitable components, and the embodiments of this application do not limit the specific structure of the first cleaning unit 141.

[0057] In this embodiment of the application, a first cleaning unit 141 can clean both the substrate to be processed by the first candidate developing unit 131 and the substrate to be processed by the second candidate developing unit 132. That is, the first candidate developing unit 131 and the second candidate developing unit 132 can share a first cleaning unit 141 without the need to set up other first cleaning units 141, which can effectively reduce production costs and simplify the structure of the developing equipment 100.

[0058] like Figure 4 As shown, in an optional embodiment, the developing apparatus 100 further includes a second cleaning unit 142, which is used to clean the initial substrate before applying photoresist to the surface of the initial substrate. The structure of the second cleaning unit 142 can be referred to that of the first cleaning unit 141, and will not be described again here.

[0059] In this embodiment of the application, the developing apparatus 100 may further include a second cleaning unit 142, which can clean the initial substrate before applying photoresist to the surface of the initial substrate, thereby avoiding contaminants on the initial substrate from affecting the effect of applying photoresist on the initial substrate.

[0060] As a possible implementation, the developing apparatus 100 may also include one or more transport units 180 to facilitate the transport of corresponding substrates between the various units of the developing apparatus 100 or between the developing apparatus 100 and other equipment, for example... Figure 5 As shown, a transport unit 180 can be provided at the outlet of the defect detection unit 170 to transport the prepared substrate to the exposure equipment 200. Transport modules can also be provided in each unit of the developing equipment 100 to facilitate the movement of the corresponding substrate within each unit. The transport unit 180 and transport modules may include drive belts, robotic arms, or other suitable components; this embodiment does not limit this. It should be understood that the transport unit 180, the first cleaning unit 141, the second cleaning unit 142, the coating unit 150, the drying unit 160, the defect detection unit 170, etc., can be controlled by the aforementioned control unit 110, or by other control devices or control methods, as long as each unit can function normally.

[0061] like Figure 6 As shown, this application embodiment also provides a developing system 10, including: an exposure device 200 and a developing device 100 as described in any of the above embodiments. The exposure device 200 is used to expose a pre-substrate coated with photoresist to obtain a substrate to be processed, and the developing device 100 is used to develop the substrate to be processed. The exposure device 200 can be an exposure device 200 such as a lithography machine, and this application embodiment does not limit the type of exposure device 200.

[0062] It should be understood that the developing system 10 provided in this application embodiment is based on the same inventive concept as the aforementioned developing device 100 embodiment and can achieve the same effect. For the specific implementation process, please refer to the description in the aforementioned developing system 10 embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0063] This application also provides a developing method for a developing apparatus. The developing apparatus may include a transfer unit and a plurality of candidate developing units, wherein the transfer unit is adjacent to the plurality of candidate developing units; wherein the plurality of candidate developing units includes a first candidate developing unit and a second candidate developing unit, and the developing solution used in the first candidate developing unit is different from the developing solution used in the second candidate developing unit.

[0064] like Figure 7 As shown, the development method includes:

[0065] S710. Obtain the development configuration information of the substrate to be processed, and determine the target development unit for developing the substrate to be processed in this process from multiple candidate development units based on the development configuration information.

[0066] S720: The substrate to be processed is carried by the transfer unit and transferred to the target developing unit among multiple candidate developing units.

[0067] S730, The substrate to be processed is developed by the target development unit.

[0068] It should be understood that the developing apparatus in this application embodiment can be any of the developing apparatuses in the above embodiments, and the developing method can be executed by the control unit in the above embodiments.

[0069] In this embodiment, the developing equipment includes a transfer unit and multiple candidate developing units, with the transfer unit adjacent to the multiple candidate developing units. The multiple candidate developing units include a first candidate developing unit and a second candidate developing unit, wherein the developing solution used in the first candidate developing unit is different from the developing solution used in the second candidate developing unit. The developing method includes: acquiring developing configuration information of the substrate to be processed; determining the target developing unit for developing the substrate to be processed from the multiple candidate developing units based on the developing configuration information; carrying the substrate to be processed through the transfer unit and transferring the substrate to be processed to the target developing unit among the multiple candidate developing units; and performing developing processing on the substrate to be processed through the target developing unit. By using multiple developing units, such as the first and second candidate developing units using different developing solutions, a single developing equipment can meet the developing requirements of various photoresists, reducing the number of developing equipment required for production and thus lowering costs. Furthermore, the control unit and the transfer unit can quickly transfer the substrate to be processed to the target candidate developing unit. When multiple substrates with different photoresists need to be developed, the first candidate developing unit and the second candidate developing unit can be used as the target candidate developing units for two different substrates. Thus, the first candidate developing unit and the second candidate developing unit can simultaneously develop two substrates with different photoresists, saving the time of changing the developing solution and increasing the production capacity of the developing equipment. This not only solves the limitation of existing developing equipment that can only process a single type of photoresist, but also meets the user's needs for developing multiple types of photoresists and improves production efficiency.

[0070] This application also provides an electronic device. Specifically, see the following: (Refer to...) Figure 8 This document illustrates a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of this application. The specific embodiments of this application do not limit the specific implementation of the electronic device.

[0071] like Figure 8 As shown, the electronic device may include: a processor 802, a communications interface 804, a memory 806, and a communications bus 808.

[0072] in:

[0073] The processor 802, communication interface 804, and memory 806 communicate with each other through the communication bus 808.

[0074] Communication interface 804 is used to communicate with other electronic devices or servers.

[0075] The processor 802 is used to execute at least one computer software 810, specifically the relevant steps in the above-described development method embodiments.

[0076] The processor 802 may be a CPU, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of this application. The smart device includes one or more processors, which may be processors of the same type, such as one or more CPUs; or processors of different types, such as one or more CPUs and one or more ASICs.

[0077] Memory 806 is used to store at least one piece of computer software 810. Memory 806 may include high-speed RAM memory, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device.

[0078] Computer software 810 may include multiple computer instructions. Specifically, computer software 810 can use these multiple computer instructions to cause processor 802 to execute the operations corresponding to the developing method described in any of the foregoing method embodiments. The specific implementation of each step in computer software 810 can be found in the corresponding descriptions of the steps and units in the foregoing method embodiments, which have corresponding beneficial effects and will not be repeated here. Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working process of the devices and modules described above can be referred to the corresponding process descriptions in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0079] This application also provides a computer storage medium storing a computer program thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the developing method described in any of the foregoing method embodiments. The storage medium includes, but is not limited to, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), random access memory (RAM), floppy disk, hard disk, or magneto-optical disk.

[0080] This application also provides a computer program product, including computer instructions that instruct a computing device to perform the operation corresponding to any of the methods described in the foregoing multiple method embodiments.

[0081] It should be noted that, depending on the implementation needs, the various components / steps described in the embodiments of this application can be broken down into more components / steps, or two or more components / steps or parts of the operation of components / steps can be combined into new components / steps to achieve the purpose of the embodiments of this application.

[0082] The methods described in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware, firmware, or as software or computer code that can be stored in a recording medium (such as a CD-ROM, RAM, floppy disk, hard disk, or magneto-optical disk), or as computer code downloaded over a network that is originally stored in a remote recording medium or a non-transitory machine-readable medium and will be stored in a local recording medium. Thus, the methods described herein can be stored on a recording medium using a general-purpose computer, a dedicated processor, or programmable or dedicated hardware (such as an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) or a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)). It is understood that the computer, processor, microprocessor controller, or programmable hardware includes storage components (e.g., Random Access Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), Flash Memory, etc.) capable of storing or receiving software or computer code. When the software or computer code is accessed and executed by the computer, processor, or hardware, the methods described herein are implemented. Furthermore, when a general-purpose computer accesses the code used to implement the methods shown herein, the execution of the code transforms the general-purpose computer into a dedicated computer for executing the methods shown herein.

[0083] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and method steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the embodiments of this application.

[0084] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the embodiments of this application, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of this application. Those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of this application. Therefore, all equivalent technical solutions also fall within the scope of the embodiments of this application, and the patent protection scope of the embodiments of this application should be defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A developing apparatus, characterized in that, include: The system includes a control unit, a transmission unit, and multiple candidate developing units, wherein the multiple candidate developing units are adjacent to the transmission unit, and the transmission unit and the control unit are connected by a communication link. The control unit is used to acquire the development configuration information of the substrate to be processed, determine the target development unit for developing the substrate to be processed in this process from a plurality of candidate development units according to the development configuration information, and output a control signal instructing the target development unit to the transmission unit; wherein, the plurality of candidate development units include a first candidate development unit and a second candidate development unit, and the developing solution used by the first candidate development unit is different from the developing solution used by the second candidate development unit. The transmission unit is used to carry the substrate to be processed and to transmit the substrate to be processed to the target developing unit according to the control signal.

2. The developing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The development configuration information includes the identification information of the candidate development unit that is set as the target development unit; Alternatively, the developing configuration information includes the substrate type of the substrate to be processed, with each substrate type corresponding to one of the candidate developing units among the plurality of candidate developing units; the control unit is used to determine the candidate developing unit corresponding to the substrate type of the substrate to be processed among the plurality of candidate developing units as the target developing unit according to the substrate type of the substrate to be processed.

3. The developing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The developing apparatus further includes a first cleaning unit adjacent to the first candidate developing unit and the second candidate developing unit. The first cleaning unit is used to clean the substrate to be processed after being processed by the first candidate developing unit and to clean the substrate to be processed after being processed by the second candidate developing unit.

4. The developing apparatus according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The developing equipment includes a coating unit, which includes a first coating head and a second coating head. The photoresist output by the first coating head and the photoresist output by the second coating head are different. The coating unit is used to coat photoresist on the surface of an initial substrate through the first coating head or the second coating head to obtain a pre-substrate, wherein the substrate to be processed is obtained by exposure treatment of the pre-substrate.

5. The developing apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, The developing equipment also includes a drying unit, which includes a heating unit and a cooling unit; The drying unit is used to dry the prepared substrate by the heating unit after the coating unit obtains the prepared substrate, and to cool the prepared substrate by the cooling unit after drying. Preferably, the developing apparatus further includes a second cleaning unit, which is used to clean the initial substrate before applying photoresist to the surface of the initial substrate.

6. The developing apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, The developing equipment includes a defect detection unit, which is used to detect the thickness and / or uniformity of the photoresist on the prepared substrate.

7. A developing system, characterized in that, include: The exposure apparatus and the developing apparatus as described in any one of claims 1-6, wherein the exposure apparatus is used to expose a pre-substrate coated with photoresist to obtain a substrate to be processed, and the developing apparatus is used to develop the substrate to be processed.

8. A developing method for a developing apparatus, characterized in that, The developing apparatus includes a conveying unit and a plurality of candidate developing units, wherein the conveying unit is adjacent to the plurality of candidate developing units; wherein the plurality of candidate developing units includes a first candidate developing unit and a second candidate developing unit, and the developing solution used by the first candidate developing unit during the developing process is different from the developing solution used by the second candidate developing unit during the developing process; The developing method includes: Obtain the development configuration information of the substrate to be processed, and determine the target development unit for developing the substrate to be processed this time from a plurality of candidate development units based on the development configuration information. The substrate to be processed is carried by the transmission unit and transmitted to the target developing unit among the multiple candidate developing units; The substrate to be processed is developed using the target development unit.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: The processor, memory, communication interface, and communication bus are provided, wherein the processor, memory, and communication interface communicate with each other via the communication bus. The memory is used to store at least one computer software that causes the processor to execute the method as described in claim 8.

10. A computer storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the method of claim 9.

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