Substrate processing device

Abstract

To provide a substrate processing device capable of detecting wear states of chuck pins.SOLUTION: A substrate processing device includes a substrate holding part 20, an image sensor 70, and a control unit 90. The substrate holding part 20 has chuck pins 22 which contact with a peripheral edge part of a substrate W to hold the substrate W. The image sensor 70 captures images of the substrate holding part 20 to obtain inspection images. The inspection images include images of the chuck pins 22. The control unit 90 outputs a wear index indicating a wear state of each chuck pin 22 based on the inspection image. The substrate processing device can detect the wear state of the chuck pin 22 through the process.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate while holding it with chuck pins. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a substrate processing apparatus that performs processes such as supplying a processing liquid to a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer and performing brush cleaning on the substrate while rotating the substrate in a horizontal position. This type of substrate processing apparatus has a plurality of chuck pins that grip the substrate by contacting the peripheral edge of the substrate.

[0003] A conventional substrate processing apparatus having chuck pins is described in, for example, Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-181889 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The chuck pins of a substrate processing apparatus gradually wear out as they grip multiple substrates one after another. Specifically, the portions of the surfaces of the chuck pins that come into contact with the substrates wear out in a concave shape. As the wear of the chuck pins progresses, the peripheral edge of the substrate fits into the concave worn portion. Therefore, when removing the substrate from the chuck pins, the peripheral edge of the substrate may get caught on the worn portion, resulting in failure to remove the substrate.

[0006] In conventional substrate processing apparatuses, chuck pins are replaced periodically, but the wear state of the chuck pins is not detected to optimize the replacement timing.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of detecting the wear state of chuck pins. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a first invention of the present application is a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising: a substrate holding unit for holding the substrate; a nozzle for ejecting a processing liquid toward the substrate held by the substrate holding unit; an image sensor for photographing the substrate holding unit; and a control unit for detecting a state of the substrate holding unit based on an inspection image acquired by the image sensor, wherein the substrate holding unit has chuck pins for gripping the substrate by abutting against a peripheral portion of the substrate, the inspection image includes an image of the chuck pins, and the control unit has a wear inspection unit for outputting a wear index indicating a wear state of the chuck pins based on the inspection image.

[0009] A second invention of the present application is a substrate processing apparatus according to the first invention, wherein the chuck pin includes a movable pin that moves between a spaced apart position away from the peripheral edge of the substrate and an abutment position in abutment with the peripheral edge of the substrate, the inspection image includes an image of the movable pin, and the wear inspection unit outputs a wear index indicating the wear state of the movable pin.

[0010] A third invention of the present application is the substrate processing apparatus of the first or second invention, wherein the wear inspection unit has a machine learning model that outputs the wear index based on the inspection image.

[0011] A fourth invention of the present application is a substrate processing apparatus according to the first or second invention, wherein the wear inspection unit outputs the wear index based on the difference between a reference image showing the chuck pin in an unwear-free state and the inspection image.

[0012] A fifth invention of the present application is a substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth inventions, wherein the image sensor photographs the chuck pins when the substrate holder is not holding the substrate.

[0013] A sixth invention of the present application is a substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, wherein the control unit further has a usage determination unit that determines whether the chuck pin can be used continuously based on the wear index.

[0014] The seventh invention of the present application is a substrate processing apparatus of the sixth invention, wherein the use determination unit outputs one of a first determination result that allows continued use of the chuck pin and does not prompt the user to replace the chuck pin, a second determination result that allows continued use of the chuck pin and prompts the user to replace the chuck pin, and a third determination result that prohibits continued use of the chuck pin based on the wear index.

[0015] An eighth aspect of the present invention is the substrate processing apparatus of the seventh aspect, further comprising a transfer robot that removes the substrate from the substrate holding unit, wherein when the usage determination unit outputs the first determination result, the transfer robot moves the substrate vertically upward relative to the chuck pins when removing the substrate from the substrate holding unit, and when the usage determination unit outputs the second determination result, the transfer robot moves the substrate obliquely upward relative to the chuck pins so that the substrate is away from worn portions of the chuck pins when removing the substrate from the substrate holding unit.

[0016] A ninth aspect of the present invention is the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects of the present invention, further comprising a brush that cleans the substrate while coming into contact with the substrate. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the first to ninth aspects of the present invention, the wear state of the chuck pin can be detected based on an image of the chuck pin.

[0018] In particular, according to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to detect the wear state of the movable pin, which is more susceptible to wear than the fixed pin.

[0019] In particular, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the wear state of the chuck pin can be detected with higher accuracy.

[0020] In particular, according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to determine whether the chuck pin can be used continuously based on the wear state of the chuck pin.

[0021] In particular, according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, instead of choosing between permitting and prohibiting continued use of the chuck pins, it is possible to output a second determination result that permits use while urging replacement of the chuck pins, thereby enabling the user of the substrate processing apparatus to proceed with preparations for replacing the chuck pins while continuing substrate processing.

[0022] In particular, according to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the substrate can be removed from the substrate holder while preventing the substrate from getting caught on the worn portion of the chuck pin.

[0023] In particular, according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to detect the state of wear of the chuck pin due to the pressure from the brush. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a block diagram conceptually showing the functions of a control unit related to the inspection of a movable pin. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for inspecting a movable pin. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which wear of the movable pin has progressed. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing examples of criteria for determining whether or not a movable pin can be continuously used. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0026] <1. Overall structure> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. This substrate processing apparatus 1 is an apparatus that processes a disk-shaped substrate W (silicon wafer) by supplying a processing liquid to the surface of the substrate W in a semiconductor manufacturing process. As shown in Fig. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a chamber 10, a substrate holder 20, a rotation mechanism 30, a nozzle 40, a brush unit 50, a cup 60, an image sensor 70, a transfer robot 80, and a control unit 90.

[0027] The chamber 10 is a housing that forms a processing space 16 for processing a substrate W. The chamber 10 has sidewalls 11 that surround the sides of the processing space 16, a top plate portion 12 that covers an upper portion of the processing space 16, and a bottom plate portion 13 that covers a lower portion of the processing space 16. A substrate holder 20, a rotation mechanism 30, a nozzle 40, a brush unit 50, a cup 60, and an image sensor 70 are housed inside the chamber 10.

[0028] A loading / unloading port 14 for loading / unloading the substrate W into / from the chamber 10 and a shutter 15 for opening / closing the loading / unloading port 14 are provided in a portion of the side wall 11 .

[0029] The substrate holding unit 20 is a mechanism that holds the substrate W in a horizontal position (a position in which the normal is oriented vertically) inside the chamber 10. FIG. 2 is a top view of the substrate holding unit 20. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the substrate holding unit 20 has a disk-shaped spin base 21 and a plurality of chuck pins 22. The plurality of chuck pins 22 are provided at equal angular intervals on the outer periphery of the upper surface of the spin base 21. The substrate W is held by the plurality of chuck pins 22 with the processing surface on which a pattern is to be formed facing upward.

[0030] 2, the multiple chuck pins 22 include two fixed pins 23, two movable pins 24, and two auxiliary pins 25. The two fixed pins 23 and the two movable pins 24 are located on opposite sides of the central axis C of the spin base 21. The two auxiliary pins 25 are located between the fixed pins 23 and the movable pins 24. That is, in this embodiment, the fixed pins 23, fixed pins 23, auxiliary pins 25, movable pins 24, movable pins 24, and auxiliary pins 25 are arranged in this order at equal angular intervals along the outer periphery of the spin base 21.

[0031] The two fixed pins 23 are fixed to the spin base 21. The fixed pins 23 have fixed claws 231 and fixed support surfaces 232. The fixed claws 231 are protrusions that protrude radially inward (toward the central axis C). The fixed support surfaces 232 are inclined surfaces that gradually decrease in height from the lower ends of the fixed claws 231 toward the radially inward side.

[0032] The two movable pins 24 are rotatably attached to the spin base 21. The movable pin 24 has a movable claw 241 and a movable support surface 242. The movable claw 241 is a protrusion that protrudes radially inward (toward the central axis C). The movable claw 241 of this embodiment has three claws that extend parallel to each other radially inward. However, the movable claw 241 may also be composed of a single claw. The movable support surface 242 is an inclined surface that gradually decreases in height from the lower end of the movable claw 241 toward the radially inward direction.

[0033] A switching mechanism 26 for switching the position of the movable pin 24 is provided inside the spin base 21. Fig. 3 is a side view of the movable pin 24. The switching mechanism 26 moves the position of the movable pin 24 between an abutting position shown by a solid line in Fig. 3 and a separated position shown by a two-dot chain line in Fig. 3. Specifically, the switching mechanism 26 rotates the movable pin 24 to move the movable claw 241 between a position in abutment with the peripheral edge of the substrate W and a position away from the peripheral edge of the substrate W.

[0034] The movable pins 24 are positioned at the separated position when the substrate W is loaded and unloaded. The substrate W is loaded into the chamber 10 by the transfer robot 80 and placed on the two fixed support surfaces 232 and the two movable support surfaces 242. At this time, the fixed claws 231 and the movable claws 241 are spaced apart from the peripheral edge of the substrate W.

[0035] Thereafter, the switching mechanism 26 moves the movable pins 24 from the separated position to the abutting position. As a result, the movable claws 241 of the two movable pins 24 abut against the peripheral edge of the substrate W. The two movable pins 24 then press the substrate W toward the fixed pins 23. As a result, the substrate W is gripped between the two movable claws 241 and the two fixed claws 231. The substrate W is held in a horizontal position above the upper surface of the spin base 21 via a gap.

[0036] The two auxiliary pins 25 are fixed to the spin base 21. A small gap exists between the auxiliary pins 25 and the substrate W. When the substrate W is bent due to the pressure of the brush 51 (described later) or the like, the auxiliary pins 25 come into contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate W. This limits the bending of the substrate W.

[0037] The multiple chuck pins 22 are made of a resin that is resistant to the processing liquid supplied to the substrate W. The chuck pins 22 are made of, for example, PBI (polybenzimidazole) or fluororesin. The chuck pins 22 gradually wear out due to repeated contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate W. In particular, the movable claws 241 of the movable pins 24 press against the peripheral edge of the substrate W, and therefore wear out more easily than other parts.

[0038] The rotation mechanism 30 is a mechanism for rotating the substrate holding part 20. The rotation mechanism 30 is housed inside a motor cover 31 provided below the spin base 21. As indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 1 , the rotation mechanism 30 has a motor 32 and a support shaft 33. The support shaft 33 extends vertically, with its lower end connected to the motor 32 and its upper end fixed to the center of the lower surface of the spin base 21. When the motor 32 is driven, the support shaft 33 rotates about a central axis C. Then, together with the support shaft 33, the substrate holding part 20 and the substrate W held by the substrate holding part 20 also rotate about the central axis C.

[0039] The rotation mechanism 30 also has an encoder 34. The encoder 34 outputs the rotation angle of the support shaft 33 to the control unit 90. The control unit 90 controls the rotation angle of the motor 32 based on the signal input from the encoder 34. The control unit 90 can also stop the chuck pin 22 at a predetermined position based on the signal input from the encoder 34.

[0040] The nozzle 40 is a mechanism that ejects the processing liquid toward the upper surface of the substrate W held by the substrate holder 20. The nozzle 40 is connected to a tank that stores the processing liquid via piping. A pump and a valve are provided on the piping path. When the valve is opened and the pump is operated, the processing liquid is supplied from the tank through the piping to the nozzle 40. The processing liquid is then ejected from the nozzle 40 toward the upper surface of the substrate W.

[0041] In the substrate processing apparatus 1, the substrate W is rotated by the rotation mechanism 30, and the processing liquid is discharged from the nozzle 40 onto the center of the upper surface of the substrate W. The processing liquid spreads from the center to the periphery of the substrate W due to centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the substrate W. This allows the processing liquid to be supplied uniformly to the upper surface of the substrate W.

[0042] The processing liquid is, for example, pure water (deionized water). Instead of pure water, the cleaning liquid may be carbonated water, ozone water, hydrogen water, electrolytic ionized water, SC1 (a mixed solution of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide), or TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide).

[0043] The brush unit 50 is a unit that physically cleans the upper surface of the substrate W held by the substrate holder 20. As shown in FIG. 1 , the brush unit 50 has a brush 51 and a moving mechanism 52 that moves the brush 51. The moving mechanism 52 can move the brush 51 up and down between a low position where the brush 51 contacts the upper surface of the substrate W and a high position where the brush 51 is retracted above the upper surface of the substrate W. The moving mechanism 52 can also oscillate the brush 51 along the upper surface of the substrate W while the brush 51 is positioned in the low position. The substrate processing apparatus 1 cleans the substrate W with the brush 51 while discharging a processing liquid from the nozzle 40. The brush 51 physically cleans the upper surface of the substrate W by pressing against the upper surface of the substrate W and sliding against the upper surface of the substrate W.

[0044] The substrate processing apparatus 1 may further include a brush unit for cleaning the lower surface and outer peripheral edge surface of the substrate W.

[0045] The cup 60 is a mechanism for collecting the processing liquid after use. As shown in FIG. 3, the cup 60 has an annular guide plate 61 that surrounds the substrate holding part 20. The cup 60 can be raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism (not shown). When the nozzle 40 discharges the processing liquid, the guide plate 61 surrounds the substrate W held by the substrate holding part 20. The processing liquid discharged from the nozzle 40 is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W, and then scattered outward by centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the substrate W. The processing liquid scattered from the substrate W is then collected by the guide plate 61. The processing liquid collected by the guide plate 61 is discharged to the outside of the chamber 10 through piping (not shown).

[0046] The image sensor 70 is a camera that captures images of the movable pins 24 of the substrate holding unit 20. The image sensor 70 is fixed to the chamber 10. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image sensor 70 is disposed to the side of the substrate holding unit 20. In this embodiment, the image sensor 70 is disposed at approximately the same height as the movable pins 24. However, the image sensor 70 may also be disposed diagonally above the movable pins 24. The image sensor 70 is desirably disposed in a direction such that a virtual line passing through the center of the imaging field of the image sensor 70 passes through the movable pins 24 in a top view and is tangent to the outer periphery of the substrate W.

[0047] Note that the image sensor 70 may be disposed in a space isolated from the processing space 16 in the chamber 10 to prevent corrosion due to the influence of the processing liquid. Alternatively, the image sensor 70 may be disposed outside the chamber 10. In this case, the image sensor 70 may capture an image of the movable pin 24 through a transparent window or a mirror.

[0048] The image sensor 70 includes an imaging element such as a CCD or CMOS, and a lens that introduces light to the imaging element. The image sensor 70 may also include a light source such as an LED that irradiates the movable pin 24 with illumination light during imaging.

[0049] When capturing an image using the image sensor 70, the rotation of the spin base 21 is stopped at a position where the movable pin 24 is within the field of view of the image sensor 70. In this state, the image sensor 70 captures an image of the movable pin 24. As a result, the image sensor 70 acquires an inspection image D including an image of the movable pin 24. The inspection image D is multi-tone digital data composed of a plurality of pixels. The acquired inspection image D is output from the image sensor 70 to the control unit 90.

[0050] The transfer robot 80 is a device that loads and unloads the substrate W into and from the chamber 10. The transfer robot 80 has a hand 81 and a movement mechanism (not shown) that moves the hand 81. The movement mechanism is capable of moving the hand 81 in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. The movement mechanism is also capable of moving the hand 81 in an oblique direction that has a horizontal component and a vertical component.

[0051] When loading the substrate W, the transfer robot 80 places the substrate W on the hand 81 and transfers the substrate W from outside the chamber 10 into the chamber 10 via the loading / unloading port 14. The transfer robot 80 then transfers the substrate W onto the two fixed pins 23 and the two movable pins 24, and then retreats to the outside of the chamber 10. The movable pins 24 then move from the separated position to the abutting position. This causes the substrate W to be gripped between the movable pins 24 and the fixed pins 23. Thereafter, the substrate processing apparatus 1 rotates the substrate W using the rotation mechanism 30, while ejecting a processing liquid from the nozzle 40 and cleaning the substrate W with the brush 51.

[0052] When the substrate W is to be unloaded, the movable pins 24 move from the contact position to the separated position. This releases the substrate W from the movable pins 24 and the fixed pins 23. The transport robot 80 then inserts the hand 81 between the spin base 21 and the substrate W and raises the hand 81. This transfers the substrate W from the substrate holder 20 to the hand 81. The transport robot 80 then unloads the hand 81, with the substrate W placed on it, from the chamber 10 via the load / unload port 14.

[0053] The control unit 90 is an information processing device that controls the above-mentioned components of the substrate processing apparatus 1. Fig. 4 is a control block diagram of the substrate processing apparatus 1. As shown in Fig. 4, the control unit 90 is configured by a computer having a processor 91 such as a CPU, a memory 92 such as a RAM, and a storage unit 93 such as a hard disk drive.

[0054] A control program P1 and an inspection program P2 are stored in the storage unit 93. The control program P1 is a computer program for controlling the operation of each part of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in order to process the substrate W. The inspection program P2 is a computer program for inspecting the state of the movable pins 24 based on the inspection image D obtained from the image sensor 70.

[0055] 4, the control unit 90 is communicably connected to the above-mentioned shutter 15, switching mechanism 26, motor 32, encoder 34, pump, valve, moving mechanism 52, image sensor 70, and transfer robot 80, respectively, via wire or wirelessly. The control unit 90 is also electrically connected to a display unit 94 such as a liquid crystal display. The control unit 90 controls the operation of each of the above-mentioned units in accordance with a control program P1 and an inspection program P2 stored in a storage unit 93. This realizes the processing of the substrate W and the inspection processing of steps S1 to S11, which will be described later.

[0056] <2. Movable pin inspection> Next, a description will be given of the inspection of the movable pins 24 using the image sensor 70. In this substrate processing apparatus 1, the control unit 90 detects the state of the movable pins 24 of the substrate holding unit 20 based on the inspection image D acquired from the image sensor 70.

[0057] Fig. 5 is a block diagram conceptually showing the functions of the control unit 90 related to the inspection of the movable pin 24. As shown in Fig. 5, the control unit 90 has an image input unit 95, a wear inspection unit 96, and a use determination unit 97. The functions of the image input unit 95, the wear inspection unit 96, and the use determination unit 97 are realized by the control unit 90 operating in accordance with the inspection program P2.

[0058] 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of inspecting the movable pins 24. In this embodiment, the movable pins 24 are inspected in a state where the substrate W is not held by the substrate holder 20. As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 90 controls the rotation angle of the motor 34 based on a signal input from the encoder 34. This causes the spin base 21 to rotate to an imaging position where the movable pins 24 are in the field of view of the image sensor 70 (step S1).

[0059] Next, the image sensor 70 captures an image of the movable pin 24 (step S2). As a result, an inspection image D including an image of the movable pin 24 is obtained. The image sensor 70 inputs the obtained inspection image D to the image input unit 95 of the control unit 90 (step S3). The control unit 90 may store the input inspection image D in the memory unit 93.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 5, the wear inspection unit 96 of the control unit 90 has a machine learning model M. The machine learning model M is an inference model created by a supervised machine learning algorithm such as deep learning. The machine learning model M outputs a wear index V indicating the wear state of the movable pin 24 based on an inspection image D of the movable pin 24. The wear index V is, for example, a numerical value that changes continuously depending on the degree of wear. However, the wear index V may also be information indicating only a staged state such as "no wear," "little wear," or "heavy wear."

[0061] When creating the machine learning model M, a large amount of training data is prepared, including images of the movable pins 24 and wear indicators V that indicate the wear states of the movable pins 24 in the images. At this time, the large amount of images should include a plurality of images of the movable pins 24 in different wear states. Then, the machine learning algorithm is made to learn this training data. When an image of the movable pins 24 is input, the machine learning algorithm adjusts the parameters of the machine learning model M so that it can output a wear indicator V that corresponds to that image. In this way, a trained machine learning model M is created.

[0062] After step S3, the wear inspection unit 96 inputs the inspection image D to the machine learning model M. Then, the machine learning model M outputs a wear index V indicating the wear state of the movable pins 24 included in the inspection image D (step S4). This allows the wear inspection unit 96 to estimate the wear state of the movable pins 24. The wear inspection unit 96 acquires a wear index V for each of the two movable pins 24. Furthermore, the wear inspection unit 96 displays the acquired wear index V on the display unit 94 (step S5).

[0063] In this way, the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment captures an image of the movable pins 24 using the image sensor 70, and outputs a wear index V indicating the wear state of the movable pins 24 based on the obtained inspection image D. This makes it possible to detect the wear state of the movable pins 24 in a non-contact manner, without removing the movable pins 24 from the substrate holder 20. In particular, by using the machine learning model M, the wear index V can be obtained without the user having to set in detail the method for measuring the amount of wear or the method for calculating the wear index V based on the amount of wear. This makes it possible to easily determine the wear state of the movable pins 24.

[0064] 7 is a diagram showing a state in which wear of the movable pin 24 has progressed. As shown in FIG. 7, a recess 243 is formed due to wear at the portion of the movable claw 241 that abuts against the substrate W. When the recess 243 becomes deep, the peripheral edge of the substrate W fits into the recess 243. In this case, when the transfer robot 80 removes the substrate W from the substrate holder 20, the substrate W may get caught in the recess 243, which may result in failure to remove the substrate W.

[0065] Therefore, the use determination unit 97 of the control unit 90 determines whether or not the movable pin 24 can be continued to be used based on the wear index V obtained in step S4 (step S6). FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the determination criteria in step S6. Here, it is assumed that the larger the wear index V, the more worn the movable pin 24 is. In the example of FIG. 8, the use determination unit 97 outputs any one of a first determination result R1, a second determination result R2, and a third determination result R3 based on the wear index V.

[0066] If the wear index V is less than the first threshold value V1, the use determination unit 97 outputs a first determination result R1. The first determination result R1 indicates that the movable pin 24 can be continued to be used and that there is currently no need to prepare for replacement of the movable pin 24. In this case, the use determination unit 97 permits continued use of the movable pin 24 and displays a message on the display unit 94 indicating that there is no need to prepare for replacement of the movable pin 24 (step S7).

[0067] The use determination unit 97 outputs a second determination result R2 when the wear index V is equal to or greater than the first threshold value V1 and less than a second threshold value V2 that is greater than the first threshold value V1. The second determination result R2 indicates that the movable pin 24 can be continued to be used, but that preparation for replacement of the movable pin 24 is required. In this case, the use determination unit 97 permits continued use of the movable pin 24 and displays a message on the display unit 94 urging the user to prepare for replacement of the movable pin 24 (step S8).

[0068] If the wear index V is equal to or greater than the second threshold value V2, the use determination unit 97 outputs a third determination result R3. The third determination result R3 indicates that continued use of the movable pin 24 is not permitted. In this case, the use determination unit 97 displays a message indicating that continued use of the movable pin 24 is prohibited on the display unit 94 (step S9). Then, the use determination unit 97 suspends processing of the substrate W by the substrate processing apparatus 1 until the movable pin 24 is replaced (step S10).

[0069] As described above, the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment determines whether the movable pins 24 can be used continuously, based on the wear index V. Then, the substrate processing apparatus 1 displays whether the movable pins 24 can be used continuously on the display unit 94. This allows the user of the substrate processing apparatus 1 to recognize whether the movable pins 24 can be used continuously. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the movable pins 24 from being used while their wear is advanced.

[0070] In particular, in this embodiment, the use determination unit 97 outputs the above-mentioned first to third determination results R1 to R3. That is, the use determination unit 97 can output not only the first determination result R1 permitting continued use of the movable pins 24 and the third determination result R3 prohibiting continued use of the movable pins 24, but also the second determination result R2 permitting continued use of the movable pins 24 while urging replacement of the movable pins 24. This allows the user of the substrate processing apparatus 1 to make preparations for replacing the movable pins 24 while continuing processing of substrates W. As a result, the downtime of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be reduced.

[0071] The control unit 90 has a first control mode and a second control mode as control modes for controlling the operation of the transfer robot 80. In the first control mode, when the transfer robot 80 takes out the substrate W from the substrate holder 20, the hand 81 carrying the substrate W is moved vertically upward relative to the plurality of chuck pins 22 as indicated by the dashed arrow A1 in FIG.

[0072] On the other hand, in the second control mode, when the transfer robot 80 takes out the substrate W from the substrate holder 20, the hand 81 carrying the substrate W is moved obliquely upward relative to the plurality of chuck pins 22, as indicated by the dashed arrow A2 in Fig. 7. At this time, the direction of movement of the hand 81 is set to a direction in which the substrate W moves away from the recessed portion 243 (wear portion) of the movable pin 24.

[0073] If the use determination unit 97 outputs the first determination result R1 in step S6, the control unit 90 sets the control mode of the transfer robot 80 to the first control mode (step S11). That is, when the substrate W is removed from the substrate holding unit 20, the hand 81 on which the substrate W is placed is moved vertically upward. This makes it possible to remove the substrate W from the substrate holding unit 20 while suppressing the application of lateral forces to the substrate W. In this case, because wear on the movable pins 24 is small, the substrate W will not get caught in the recesses 243 even when the hand 81 is moved vertically upward.

[0074] On the other hand, if the use determination unit 97 outputs the second determination result R2 in step S6, the control unit 90 switches the control mode of the transfer robot 80 from the first mode to the second mode (step S12). That is, when the substrate W is removed from the substrate holding unit 20, the substrate W is moved obliquely upward so as to move away from the recessed portion 243 of the movable pin 24. This makes it possible to remove the substrate W from the substrate holding unit 20 while preventing the substrate W from getting caught in the recessed portion 243.

[0075] <3. Modifications> Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

[0076] <3-1. First modified example> In the above embodiment, the use determination unit 97 determines whether or not the movable pin 24 can be continuously used based on the wear index V output by the machine learning model M. However, the machine learning model M may output information indicating whether or not the movable pin 24 can be continuously used. For example, the machine learning model M may output the above-described first determination result R1, second determination result R2, or third determination result R3 as the wear index V.

[0077] <3-2. Second modified example> In the above embodiment, the wear inspection unit 96 outputs the wear index V using the machine learning model M. However, the wear inspection unit 96 may output the wear index V without using the machine learning model M. For example, the wear inspection unit 96 may have a reference image showing the movable pin 24 in an unworn state. The wear inspection unit 96 may then output the wear index V based on the difference between the reference image and the inspection image D. Specifically, the larger the difference between the reference image and the inspection image D, the larger the value of the wear index V that is output.

[0078] The wear inspection unit 96 may also measure the depth of the recess 243 based on the inspection image D and calculate the wear index V based on the measurement value. In this case, the depth of the recess 243 corresponding to the above-mentioned first threshold value V1 may be, for example, about 0.1 to 0.2 mm. The depth of the recess 243 corresponding to the above-mentioned second threshold value V2 may be, for example, about 0.2 to 0.3 mm.

[0079] <3-3.Third modified example> In the above embodiment, the movable pins 24 were inspected when the substrate holding unit 20 was not holding the substrate W. When the substrate holding unit 20 was not holding the substrate W, the state of the recesses 243 formed due to wear was likely to appear in the inspection image D, and so the wear state of the movable pins 24 could be determined with high accuracy. However, if the recesses 243 appear in the inspection image D even when the substrate holding unit 20 was holding the substrate W, the movable pins 24 could also be inspected while the substrate W was being held.

[0080] <3-4. Fourth Variation> In the above embodiment, the substrate holding unit 20 has two fixed pins 23, two movable pins 24, and two auxiliary pins 25. However, the numbers of fixed pins 23, movable pins 24, and auxiliary pins 25 included in the substrate holding unit 20 may be different from those in the above embodiment. For example, the substrate holding unit 20 may not have auxiliary pins 25.

[0081] In the above embodiment, only the movable pin 24, which is particularly susceptible to wear, is inspected among the multiple chuck pins 22. However, the other chuck pins 22 may also be inspected in a similar manner. For example, the fixed pin 23 may be photographed by the image sensor 70, and a wear index V indicating the wear state of the fixed pin 23 may be output based on the obtained inspection image D. Furthermore, when the movable pin 24 is replaced, the other chuck pins 22 may also be replaced at the same time.

[0082] <3-5. Fifth Variation> In the above embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is described as including a brush unit 50. However, the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the brush unit 50. For example, the substrate processing apparatus 1 may be equipped with a two-fluid nozzle that discharges a mixed fluid of a processing liquid and a gas, instead of the brush unit 50. In this case, the processing liquid is a chemical solution containing at least one of sulfuric acid, nitric acid, acetic acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, ammonia water, and hydrogen peroxide water. For example, an SC-1 cleaning solution, which is a mixed solution of ammonia water and hydrogen peroxide water, is used as the processing liquid. However, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 equipped with the brush 51, the brush 51 directly contacts the substrate W and applies pressure, so the chuck pins 22 are particularly susceptible to wear. Therefore, applying the present invention to a substrate processing apparatus 1 equipped with a brush unit 50 is particularly significant.

[0083] <3-6. Other variations> In the above embodiment, the substrate W to be processed is a silicon wafer for a semiconductor. However, the substrate to be processed in the present invention is not limited to a silicon wafer, and may be a substrate for other precision electronic devices, such as a glass substrate for a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display device, a glass substrate for a photomask, or a glass substrate for a solar cell.

[0084] Furthermore, the detailed shape of the substrate processing apparatus may differ from the shape shown in each drawing of the present application. Furthermore, the elements appearing in the above-described embodiments and modifications may be combined as appropriate within the scope of not causing any contradiction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 1: Substrate processing equipment 10: Chamber 20: Board holding part 21: Spin Base 22: Zipper pin 23: Fixed pin 24: Movable pin 25: Auxiliary pin 26: Switching mechanism 30: Rotation mechanism 40: Nozzle 50: Brush unit 51: Brush 60: Cup 70: Image sensor 80: Transport robot 81: Hand 90: Control unit 94:Display section 95: Image input unit 96: Wear inspection section 97:Use judgment part 231: Fixed claw 232: Fixed support surface 241: Movable claw 242: Movable support surface 243: Recess D: Inspection image M: Machine learning model P1: Control program P2: Inspection Program R1: First decision result R2: Second judgment result R3: 3rd judgment result V: Wear index V1: First threshold V2: Second threshold W: Substrate

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, a substrate holder for holding the substrate; a nozzle that ejects a processing liquid toward the substrate held by the substrate holder; an image sensor that captures an image of the substrate holder; a control unit that detects a state of the substrate holding unit based on the inspection image acquired by the image sensor; Equipped with The substrate holder includes: a chuck pin that holds the substrate by contacting the peripheral edge of the substrate; and the inspection image includes an image of the chuck pin; The control unit a wear inspection unit that outputs a wear index that indicates a wear state of the chuck pin based on the inspection image; The substrate processing apparatus has:

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , The chuck pin is a movable pin that moves between a spaced position away from the peripheral edge of the substrate and an abutting position in abutment with the peripheral edge of the substrate; Including, the inspection image includes an image of the movable pin, The wear inspection unit outputs a wear index indicating a wear state of the movable pin.

3. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The wear inspection unit a machine learning model that outputs a wear index based on the inspection image; The substrate processing apparatus has:

4. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The wear inspection unit outputs the wear index based on a difference between a reference image showing the chuck pin in an unworn state and the inspection image.

5. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The image sensor captures an image of the chuck pins when the substrate holder is not holding the substrate.

6. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The control unit a use determination unit that determines whether the chuck pin can be continuously used based on the wear index; The substrate processing apparatus further comprises:

7. 7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, The use determination unit, based on the wear index, a first determination result that allows continued use of the chuck pin and does not prompt the user to replace the chuck pin; a second determination result that permits continued use of the chuck pin and prompts the user to replace the chuck pin; a third determination result prohibiting continued use of the chuck pin; The substrate processing apparatus outputs any one of the above.

8. 8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, A transfer robot that removes the substrate from the substrate holder. Furthermore, When the use determination unit outputs the first determination result, the transfer robot moves the substrate vertically upward relative to the chuck pins when removing the substrate from the substrate holding unit; When the usage determination unit outputs the second determination result, the transport robot, when removing the substrate from the substrate holding unit, moves the substrate diagonally upward relative to the chuck pin so that the substrate is away from the worn portion of the chuck pin.

9. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, A brush that cleans the substrate while contacting the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus further comprises:

Images