Substrate processing device, method for controlling supply of rinse liquid, method for calculating supply amount of rinse liquid, program for controlling supply of rinse liquid, and program for calculating supply amount of rinse liquid

Abstract

To appropriately control a supply amount of a rinse liquid or calculate the supply amount of the rinse liquid.SOLUTION: A substrate processing device includes: a first processing unit configured to process a substrate; a second processing unit configured to process the substrate after being processed by the first processing unit; a rinse liquid supply mechanism configured to supply a rinse liquid to a waiting substrate after being processed by the first processing unit and before being processed by the second processing unit; and a control part configured to control at least one of a supply amount d of the rinse liquid per unit time, a time for supplying the rinse liquid, and a standby time t0 until the substrate is transported to the second processing unit so that the supply amount of the rinse liquid supplied from the rinse liquid supply mechanism to the substrate falls within a target range.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a method for controlling the supply of a rinse liquid, a method for calculating a supply amount of a rinse liquid, a program for controlling the supply of a rinse liquid, and a program for calculating a supply amount of a rinse liquid. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a substrate processing apparatus including an anti-drying fluid supplying means for supplying an anti-drying fluid to the substrate surface to prevent the processing liquid on the substrate surface from drying while the substrate is being transported by the transporting means. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-160614 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] One of the objects of the present invention is to appropriately control the supply amount of the rinse liquid or to calculate the supply amount of the rinse liquid. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] By way of example, the following solution is provided:

[0006] [1] a first processing unit for processing a substrate; a second processing unit for processing the substrate after being processed by the first processing unit; a rinse liquid supply mechanism that supplies a rinse liquid to a waiting substrate that has been processed by the first processing unit and is not yet processed by the second processing unit; A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls at least one of the supply amount d of the rinse liquid per unit time, the time for supplying the rinse liquid, and the standby time t0 until the substrate is transferred to the second processing unit so that the supply amount of the rinse liquid supplied from the rinse liquid supply mechanism to the substrate is within a target range.

[0007] [2] The supply amount d of the rinse liquid per unit time and the standby time t0 are given. The substrate processing apparatus according to [1], wherein the control unit controls the time for supplying the rinse liquid.

[0008] [3] The rinse liquid supply mechanism has a valve for switching whether to supply the rinse liquid. The substrate processing apparatus according to [2], wherein the control unit controls the time for supplying the rinse liquid by controlling the opening and closing of the valve.

[0009] [4] The target range is determined by a minimum supply amount Lmin and a maximum supply amount Lmax. The control unit When d * t0 < Lmax, the valve is opened. The substrate processing apparatus according to [3], wherein when Lmax < d * t0, the valve is opened until a time t = Lmin / d elapses, and thereafter, the opening and closing of the valve are intermittently switched until the standby time t0 elapses.

[0010] [5] A first processing unit for processing a substrate. A second processing unit for processing the substrate after being processed by the first processing unit. One or more rinse liquid supply mechanisms for supplying a rinse liquid to the substrate during standby after being processed by the first processing unit and before being processed by the second processing unit. a control unit that calculates a supply amount of the rinse liquid supplied from the rinse liquid supply mechanism to the substrate based on a supply amount of the rinse liquid per unit time and a time for which the rinse liquid is supplied.

[0011] [6] The substrate processing apparatus according to [5], wherein the control unit issues an alarm based on a comparison between the calculated amount of rinse liquid and a first target value.

[0012] [7] two or more of the rinse liquid supply mechanisms; The substrate processing apparatus according to [5] or [6], wherein the control unit calculates a total amount of rinse liquid supplied by the two or more rinse liquid supply mechanisms from the start of polishing processing on the substrate to the end of cleaning processing.

[0013] [8] The substrate processing apparatus according to [7], wherein the control unit issues an alarm based on a comparison between the calculated total amount of the rinse liquid and a second target value.

[0014] [9] a transport unit that transports the substrate after being processed by the first processing unit to the second processing unit; The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of [1] to [8], wherein the rinse liquid supply mechanism supplies a rinse liquid to the substrate on the transport unit.

[0015]

[10] a mounting table on which a substrate that has been processed by the first processing unit but has not yet been processed by the second processing unit is placed; The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of [1] to [9], wherein the rinse liquid supply mechanism supplies a rinse liquid to the substrate placed on the stage.

[0016]

[11] The first processing unit and the second processing unit are both polishing units. The first processing unit is a polishing unit and the second processing unit is a cleaning unit, or The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of [1] to

[10] , wherein the first processing unit and the second processing unit are both cleaning units.

[0017]

[12] A method for controlling the supply of rinse liquid, which controls at least one of the amount of rinse liquid supplied per unit time, the time for supplying rinse liquid, and the waiting time before transporting the substrate to the second processing unit so that the amount of rinse liquid supplied to the substrate from a rinse liquid supply mechanism that supplies rinse liquid to the substrate while waiting after being processed by a first processing unit and before being processed by a second processing unit falls within a target range.

[0018]

[13] A method for calculating a supply amount of rinse liquid, which calculates the supply amount of rinse liquid supplied to a substrate from a rinse liquid supply mechanism that supplies rinse liquid to a waiting substrate after being processed by a first processing unit and before being processed by a second processing unit, based on the supply amount of rinse liquid per unit time and the time for which the rinse liquid is supplied.

[0019]

[14] A program for controlling the supply of rinse liquid, which causes a computer to function as a control unit that controls at least one of the amount of rinse liquid supplied per unit time, the time for supplying rinse liquid, and the waiting time until the substrate is transported to the second processing unit, so that the amount of rinse liquid supplied to the substrate from a rinse liquid supply mechanism that supplies rinse liquid to the substrate after it has been processed by a first processing unit and is waiting before it is processed by a second processing unit, falls within a target range.

[0020]

[15] A program for calculating the supply amount of rinse liquid, which causes a computer to function as a control unit that calculates the supply amount of rinse liquid supplied to a substrate from a rinse liquid supply mechanism that supplies rinse liquid to a waiting substrate after it has been processed by a first processing unit and before it is processed by a second processing unit, based on the supply amount of rinse liquid per unit time and the time for which the rinse liquid is supplied. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] The supply amount of the rinse liquid can be appropriately controlled or calculated. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a substrate processing apparatus 100. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a transport path for a substrate W. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a rinsing liquid supply mechanism 10a that supplies a rinsing liquid to a substrate W transported by a transport unit 6b. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a rinse liquid supply mechanism 10b that supplies a rinse liquid to a substrate W placed on a mounting table 7a. [Figure 5] 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing operation of a control unit 8. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing another example of the processing operation of the control unit 8. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing yet another example of the processing operation of the control unit 8. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0024] 1 is a schematic diagram of a substrate processing apparatus 100. The substrate processing apparatus 100 is, for example, a CMP apparatus, and includes a substantially rectangular housing 1 and a load port 2 disposed adjacent to the housing 1.

[0025] A substrate cassette (not shown) for stocking a plurality of substrates W is placed on the load port 2. Examples of the substrates W include semiconductor wafers. However, the substrates W to be processed are not limited to semiconductor wafers, and may be other types of substrates used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, such as glass substrates and ceramic substrates. Furthermore, at least one surface of the substrate W has a device formed thereon, including a semiconductor film, a metal (e.g., copper) film, etc.

[0026] The substrate processing apparatus 100 includes one or more (four in FIG. 1) polishing units 3a to 3d (which may be collectively referred to as "polishing units 3" when not otherwise distinguished), one or more (six in FIG. 1) cleaning units 4a to 4f (which may be collectively referred to as "cleaning units 4" when not otherwise distinguished), one or more (two in FIG. 1) drying units 5a, 5b (which may be collectively referred to as "drying units 5" when not otherwise distinguished), one or more (six in FIG. 1) transport units 6a to 6f, and one or more (two in FIG. 1) mounting tables 7a, 7f (which may be collectively referred to as "mounting tables 7" when not otherwise distinguished), which are arranged inside a housing 1.

[0027] The substrate processing apparatus 100 also includes a controller 8 that controls the polishing unit 3, the cleaning unit 4, the drying unit 5, and the transport unit 6. The controller 8 is, for example, a computer having a memory and a processor. The processor executes a program stored in the memory to perform each process described below.

[0028] The polishing unit 3 polishes the surface of the substrate W. More specifically, the polishing unit 3 polishes the surface of the substrate W by supplying slurry onto the substrate W while rotating the substrate W and pressing a polishing member (not shown) against the surface of the substrate W. After polishing, polishing debris and slurry may remain on the substrate W.

[0029] The cleaning unit 4 cleans the surface of the polished substrate W. More specifically, the cleaning unit 4 cleans the surface of the substrate W by pressing a substrate cleaning tool (not shown in FIG. 1) against the surface of the substrate W while rotating the substrate W.

[0030] The drying unit 5 dries the surface of the cleaned substrate W. For example, the drying unit 5 is a spin drying device that sprays isopropyl alcohol vapor from a spray nozzle onto the rotating substrate W to dry the substrate W, while rotating the substrate W at high speed to dry the substrate W by centrifugal force.

[0031] Hereinafter, the polishing unit 3, the cleaning unit 4, and the drying unit 5 may be collectively referred to as the "processing unit." In other words, when simply referring to the "processing unit," it refers to any one of the polishing unit 3, the cleaning unit 4, and the drying unit 5.

[0032] The transport unit 6 transports the substrate W, for example, after being processed in a processing unit, to the next processing unit. The substrate W on the transport unit 6 can be said to be in a standby state. Specific examples of the transport unit 6 are as follows.

[0033] The transport unit 6a is disposed close to the load port 2, the transport unit 6b, and the drying units 5a and 5b. The transport unit 6a receives an unprocessed substrate W from the load port 2 and passes it to the transport unit 6b, receives a processed substrate W from the transport unit 6b, and receives a substrate W from the drying units 5a and 5b.

[0034] The transport unit 6b extends in the longitudinal direction in the center of the housing 1. The transport unit 6b may be a linear transporter that moves in the longitudinal direction of the housing 1. The transport unit 6b transports the substrate W between the transport unit 6a, the polishing units 3a to 3d, and the transport unit 6c.

[0035] The transport unit 6c is disposed adjacent to the transport unit 6b and the mounting table 7a. The transport unit 6c may be a swing transporter that rotates around a predetermined vertical axis. The transport unit 6c transports the substrate W between the transport unit 6b and the mounting table 7a.

[0036] The transport unit 6d is disposed adjacent to the cleaning units 4a, 4c, 4d, and 4f and the mounting tables 7a and 7b. The transport unit 6d may be a robot. The transport unit 6d transports the substrate W between the cleaning units 4a, 4c, 4d, and 4f and the mounting tables 7a and 7b.

[0037] The transfer unit 6e is disposed adjacent to the cleaning units 4a, 4b, 4d, and 4f and the mounting table 7b. The transfer unit 6e may be a robot. The transfer unit 6e transfers the substrate W between the cleaning units 4a, 4c, 4d, and 4f and the mounting table 7b.

[0038] The transport unit 6f is disposed adjacent to the cleaning units 4c and 4f and the drying units 5a and 5b. The transport unit 6f may be a robot. The transport unit 6f transports the substrate W between the cleaning units 4c and 4f and the drying units 5a and 5b.

[0039] The mounting table 7 is used to place a substrate W that has been processed by a processing unit and is not yet to be processed by the next processing unit. The substrate W placed on the mounting table 7 is in a standby state. For example, the mounting table 7a is disposed close to the transport units 6c and 6d. The mounting table 7b is disposed close to the transport units 6d and 6e.

[0040] The arrangement of the polishing unit 3, cleaning unit 4, drying unit 5, transport unit 6, and mounting table 7 is merely an example. It is sufficient to provide one or more transport units 6 that can transport the substrate W through the polishing unit 3, cleaning unit 4, and drying unit 5 in that order. Furthermore, the mounting table 7 may be provided at a required position as needed, or may be omitted if not required.

[0041] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a transport path for a substrate W. The substrate W is transported from the load port 2 to the transport unit 6b by the transport unit 6a. The substrate W is then transported from the transport unit 6b to the polishing unit 3a. In this polishing unit 3a, the substrate W is polished. The polished substrate W is transported from the polishing unit 3a to the polishing unit 3b by the transport unit 6b. In this polishing unit 3b, the substrate W is polished.

[0042] The polished substrate W is transported from the polishing unit 3b to the transport unit 6c by the transport unit 6b and placed on the mounting table 7a. The substrate W is then transported from the mounting table 7a to the cleaning unit 4a by the transport unit 6d. In this cleaning unit 4a, the substrate W is cleaned. The cleaned substrate W is transported from the cleaning unit 4a to the cleaning unit 4b by the transport unit 6e. In this cleaning unit 4b, the substrate W is cleaned.

[0043] The cleaned substrate W is transported from the cleaning unit 4b by the transport unit 6e and placed on the mounting table 7b. The substrate W is then transported from the mounting table 7b by the transport unit 6d to the cleaning unit 4c. In this cleaning unit 4c, the substrate W is cleaned. The cleaned substrate W is transported from the cleaning unit 4c by the transport unit 6f to the drying unit 5a. In this drying unit 5a, the substrate W is dried. The dried substrate W is transported to the load port 2 by the transport unit 6a.

[0044] Here, since each processing unit performs processing based on a predetermined recipe, a predetermined amount of rinse liquid is supplied based on the recipe.

[0045] However, a substrate W is not necessarily processed in one processing unit and then processed in the next processing unit immediately thereafter, but may be in a standby state between processing units (for example, on the transport unit 6 or on the mounting table 7) where no processing is performed. The period of this standby state (waiting period) is not constant and may be long or short.

[0046] If the rinse liquid is not supplied during this waiting period, the substrate W may dry out. On the other hand, if the rinse liquid is continuously supplied during this waiting period, the devices (especially metal films such as copper films) formed on the substrate W may corrode. Furthermore, if the amount of rinse liquid supplied varies depending on the length of the waiting period, this may affect the yield.

[0047] Therefore, in this embodiment, the supply amount of the rinse liquid during the standby period is controlled. To achieve this, the substrate processing apparatus 100 is configured to include one or more rinse liquid supply mechanisms 10 (not shown in FIG. 1) that supply a rinse liquid (e.g., pure water or a chemical liquid) to a substrate W that has been processed by a processing unit and is waiting to be processed by another processing unit.

[0048] 3, a rinse liquid supply mechanism 10a is provided that supplies rinse liquid to the substrate W transported by the transport unit 6b. The rinse liquid supply mechanism 10a has nozzles 11 and 12 and valves 21 and 22 (supply control means). When the valve 21 is opened, the rinse liquid is supplied from the nozzle 11 to the upper surface of the substrate W. When the valve 22 is opened, the rinse liquid is supplied from the nozzle 12 to the lower surface of the substrate W. The opening and closing of the valves 21 and 22 is controlled by the control unit 8.

[0049] 4, a rinse liquid supply mechanism 10b may be provided to supply rinse liquid to the substrate W placed on the mounting table 7a. The rinse liquid supply mechanism 10b has nozzles 13 and 14 and valves 23 and 24 (supply control means). When the valve 23 is opened, the rinse liquid is supplied from the nozzle 13 to the upper surface of the substrate W. When the valve 24 is opened, the rinse liquid is supplied from the nozzle 14 to the lower surface of the substrate W. The opening and closing of the valves 23 and 24 is controlled by the control unit 8.

[0050] A rinse liquid supply mechanism 10 for supplying a rinse liquid to the substrate W transported by the other transport unit 6 or the substrate W placed on the mounting table 7 may also be provided.

[0051] The control unit 8 then controls the amount of rinse liquid supplied from the rinse liquid supply mechanism 10 to the substrate W so that it falls within a target range. As a specific example, the control unit 8 controls the supply time of the rinse liquid by controlling the opening and closing of the valves 21 to 24. As another example, the control unit 8 controls the supply amount of the rinse liquid per unit time. As yet another example, the control unit 8 may control the time until the substrate W is transported to the next processing unit (hereinafter referred to as "waiting time").

[0052] In the following example, the supply amount d of the rinse liquid per unit time is a given constant value and is not subject to control. The waiting time t0 is also a given value determined by the recipe of the processing unit and is not subject to control.

[0053] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the control unit 8. The following description will be given taking the rinse liquid supply mechanism 10a shown in FIG. 3 as an example, but the present invention can also be applied to other rinse liquid supply mechanisms 10. It is also assumed that the target range of the rinse liquid supply amount is Lmin to Lmax, and is set in advance in the control unit 8.

[0054] In order to supply the rinse liquid to the substrate W that has been received by the transport unit 6b and is in a standby state, the control unit 8 opens the valves 21 and 22 (step S1).

[0055] Here, the control unit 8 determines whether the following formula (1) is satisfied (step S2). d*t0 <Lmax ···(1)

[0056] If formula (1) is satisfied (YES in step S2), even if the rinse liquid is continuously supplied during the waiting time t0, the supply amount of the rinse liquid will not exceed the upper limit value Lmax of the target range. Therefore, the control unit 8 continues to supply the rinse liquid without closing the valves 21 and 22. Then, when the waiting time t0 has elapsed (YES in step S3), the control unit 8 closes the valves 21 and 22 as necessary and controls the transport unit 6b to transport the substrate W to the next processing unit (step S4).

[0057] On the other hand, if formula (1) is not satisfied (NO in step S2), if the rinse liquid is continuously supplied during the waiting time t0, the supply amount of the rinse liquid will exceed the upper limit Lmax of the target range. Therefore, the control unit 8 keeps the valves 21 and 22 open until t=Lmin / d has elapsed (NO in step S5). As a result, the rinse liquid is supplied at a rate equal to or greater than the lower limit Lmin of the target range. After t=Lmin / d has elapsed, the control unit 8 intermittently switches the valves 21 and 22 between open and closed (step S6). This prevents the substrate W from drying and reduces the risk of excessive rinse liquid being supplied. After the waiting time t0 has elapsed (YES in step S3), the control unit 8 closes the valves 21 and 22 as necessary and controls the transport unit 6b to transport the substrate W to the next processing unit (step S4).

[0058] In step S3, if the wafer cannot be transported to the next processing unit due to an unexpected problem or the like even after the waiting time t0 calculated from the recipe of the processing unit has elapsed, the supply of the rinse liquid may be continued to prioritize prevention of drying, or the supply of the rinse liquid may be stopped to prioritize prevention of corrosion. Furthermore, the supply of the rinse liquid can be prevented by setting Lmin=Lmax=0 in the control unit 8.

[0059] In this way, by controlling the supply amount of the rinse liquid, defects such as corrosion of the metal film on the substrate W can be reduced, and the yield can be improved.

[0060] The above is an example in which the control unit 8 controls the supply amount of the rinse liquid, but it is also possible to calculate the amount of rinse liquid actually supplied and issue an alarm as necessary.

[0061] 6 is a flowchart showing another example of the processing operation of the control unit 8. In this example, an alarm is issued based on the amount of rinse liquid supplied during one standby period between one processing unit and the next processing unit.

[0062] The control unit 8 calculates the amount of rinse liquid supplied to the waiting substrate W (step S11). As a specific example, the control unit 8 can calculate the amount of rinse liquid supplied based on the amount of rinse liquid supplied per unit time d and the time t during which the rinse liquid is supplied. The time t during which the rinse liquid is supplied is, for example, the time during which the valves 21 and 22 of the rinse liquid supply mechanism 10a are turned on.

[0063] The calculated supply amount of rinse liquid may be stored as a processing log. By storing the supply amounts of rinse liquid for multiple substrates W, the data can be used as statistical data. As an example, an abnormal substrate W with a supply amount of rinse liquid that deviates from the normal amount can be identified from the average value and standard deviation of the supply amount of rinse liquid. Alternatively, an optimal supply amount of rinse liquid can be automatically calculated, and the optimum supply amount of rinse liquid can be reflected in the above-mentioned Lamx and Lmin.

[0064] Then, the control unit 8 compares the calculated supply amount of rinse liquid with a preset target value (step S12). The target value may be a lower limit value, an upper limit value, or a combination of a lower limit value and an upper limit value. If the target value is not met, the control unit 8 issues an alarm (step S13).

[0065] 7 is a flowchart showing another example of the processing operation of the control unit 8. In this example, an alarm is issued based on the total amount of rinse liquid supplied during all standby periods from the first processing unit to the last processing unit.

[0066] 6, the control unit 8 calculates the total amount of rinse liquid supplied from the rinse liquid supply mechanism 10 from the start of polishing processing by the polishing unit 3 to the end of cleaning processing by the cleaning unit 4. The calculated total amount of rinse liquid supplied may be stored as a processing log.

[0067] For example, if the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes two rinse liquid supply mechanisms 10a and 10b, the amounts of rinse liquid supplied by the two rinse liquid supply mechanisms 10a and 10b are added together. As shown in Fig. 2, if the substrate W is in a standby state three times on the transport unit 6b and once on the mounting table 7a, the amount of rinse liquid supplied three times from the rinse liquid supply mechanism 10a shown in Fig. 3 and the amount of rinse liquid supplied once from the rinse liquid supply mechanism 10b shown in Fig. 4 are added together.

[0068] Then, the control unit 8 compares the calculated total supply amount of rinse liquid with a preset target value (step S22). The target value may be a lower limit value, an upper limit value, or a combination of a lower limit value and an upper limit value. If the target value is not met, the control unit 8 issues an alarm (step S23).

[0069] In this way, by calculating the supply amount of the rinse liquid, the possibility of a defect such as corrosion of the metal film on the substrate W can be detected.

[0070] Any part or all of the functional units described in this specification may be realized by a program. The program mentioned in this specification may be non-transitoryly recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

[0071] Such a program may be installed on a computer (a so-called native application), in which case the program may be downloaded to the computer via a communication line (including wireless communication) such as the Internet, or may be distributed in a state where it is installed on the computer.

[0072] Alternatively, the program may be one that runs on a web browser (a so-called web app), in which case the computer may receive the program written in a markup language file (e.g., an HTML file) from a server and execute it using the web browser.

[0073] Based on the above description, a person skilled in the art may be able to conceive additional effects and various modifications of the present invention, but the aspects of the present invention are not limited to the individual embodiments described above. For example, inventions that extract only a part of each embodiment or inventions that combine multiple embodiments are naturally envisioned. Various additions, modifications, and partial deletions are possible within the scope of the conceptual idea and spirit of the present invention, which can be derived from the content defined in the claims and their equivalents.

[0074] For example, what is described in this specification as a single device (or component, the same applies hereinafter) (including what is depicted as a single device in the drawings) may be realized by multiple devices. Conversely, what is described in this specification as multiple devices (including what is depicted as multiple devices in the drawings) may be realized by a single device. Alternatively, some or all of the means or functions included in one device may be included in another device.

[0075] Furthermore, not all of the features described in this specification are essential requirements. In particular, features described in this specification but not included in the claims can be considered optional additional features.

[0076] Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the term "means" in this specification and claims refers to hardware itself (or a function realized by hardware) and does not include a human being (or human mental activity).

[0077] Furthermore, the functions performed by the components described herein may be implemented in circuitry or processing circuitry, including general-purpose processors, application-specific processors, integrated circuits, ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), a CPU (a Central Processing Unit), conventional circuits, and / or combinations thereof, programmed to perform the described functions. A processor includes transistors and other circuits and is considered to be circuitry or processing circuitry. A processor may also be a programmed processor that executes programs stored in memory.

[0078] Also, in this specification, a circuitry, unit, or means is hardware that is programmed to realize or executes the described functions, which may be any hardware disclosed in this specification or any hardware known to be programmed to realize or execute the described functions.

[0079] If the hardware is a processor considered to be a type of circuitry, the circuitry, means, or unit is a combination of the hardware and software used to configure the hardware and / or processor.

[0080] It should be noted that the applicant is merely aware of the inventions disclosed in the documents listed in the "Prior Art Documents" section of this specification, and the present invention does not necessarily aim to solve the problems of the disclosed inventions. The problem that the present invention aims to solve should be determined by taking into consideration the entire specification. For example, if this specification states that a specific configuration achieves a certain effect, it can also be said that the present invention solves a problem that is the reverse of that effect. However, it is not necessarily intended that such a specific configuration be an essential requirement. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 100 Substrate processing apparatus 1. Housing 2 Loading port 3a~3d Polishing units 4a~4f Cleaning unit 5a, 5b Drying unit 6a~6f Transport unit 7a, 7b Mounting table 8 Control Unit 10a, 10b Rinse liquid supply mechanism 11~14 nozzles 21~24 valves

Claims

1. a first processing unit for processing a substrate; a second processing unit for processing the substrate after being processed by the first processing unit; a rinse liquid supply mechanism that supplies a rinse liquid to a substrate that has been processed by the first processing unit and is waiting to be processed by the second processing unit; a control unit that controls at least one of a supply amount d of the rinse liquid per unit time, a supply time of the rinse liquid, and a waiting time t0 until the substrate is transported to the second processing unit, so that the supply amount of the rinse liquid supplied from the rinse liquid supply mechanism to the substrate is within a target range.

2. The supply amount d of the rinse liquid per unit time and the waiting time t0 are given, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls a time for supplying a rinse liquid.

3. the rinse liquid supply mechanism has a valve that switches whether or not to supply a rinse liquid; The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit controls a time for supplying the rinse liquid by controlling opening and closing of the valve.

4. the target range is determined by a minimum supply amount Lmin and a maximum supply amount Lmax; The control unit If d*t0<Lmax, open the valve; 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, when Lmax<d*t0, the valve is opened until time t=Lmin / d has elapsed, and thereafter, the valve is intermittently switched between opening and closing until the waiting time t0 has elapsed.

5. a first processing unit for processing a substrate; a second processing unit for processing the substrate after being processed by the first processing unit; one or more rinse liquid supply mechanisms for supplying a rinse liquid to a waiting substrate after being processed by the first processing unit and before being processed by the second processing unit; a control unit that calculates a supply amount of the rinse liquid supplied from the rinse liquid supply mechanism to the substrate based on a supply amount of the rinse liquid per unit time and a time for which the rinse liquid is supplied.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the control unit issues an alarm based on a comparison between the calculated amount of rinse liquid and a first target value.

7. two or more of the rinse liquid supply mechanisms are provided, 7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control unit calculates a total amount of rinsing liquid supplied by the two or more rinsing liquid supply mechanisms from the start of polishing processing on the substrate to the end of cleaning processing.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the control unit issues an alarm based on a comparison between the calculated total amount of the rinse liquid and a second target value.

9. a transport unit configured to transport the substrate processed by the first processing unit to the second processing unit; The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the rinse liquid supply mechanism supplies a rinse liquid to the substrate on the transport unit.

10. a mounting table on which a substrate that has been processed by the first processing unit but has not yet been processed by the second processing unit is placed; 6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rinse liquid supply mechanism supplies a rinse liquid to the substrate placed on the stage.

11. the first processing unit and the second processing unit are both polishing units; The first processing unit is a polishing unit and the second processing unit is a cleaning unit, or The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first processing unit and the second processing unit are both cleaning units.

12. A method for controlling the supply of rinse liquid, which controls at least one of the amount of rinse liquid supplied per unit time, the time for supplying rinse liquid, and the waiting time before transporting the substrate to the second processing unit so that the amount of rinse liquid supplied to the substrate from a rinse liquid supply mechanism that supplies rinse liquid to the substrate while waiting after being processed by a first processing unit and before being processed by a second processing unit falls within a target range.

13. A method for calculating a supply amount of rinse liquid, the method calculating the supply amount of rinse liquid supplied to a substrate from a rinse liquid supply mechanism that supplies rinse liquid to a waiting substrate after being processed by a first processing unit and before being processed by a second processing unit, based on the supply amount of rinse liquid per unit time and the time for which the rinse liquid is supplied.

14. A program for controlling the supply of rinse liquid, which causes a computer to function as a control unit that controls at least one of the amount of rinse liquid supplied per unit time, the time for supplying rinse liquid, and the waiting time until the substrate is transported to the second processing unit, so that the amount of rinse liquid supplied to the substrate from a rinse liquid supply mechanism that supplies rinse liquid to the substrate while waiting after being processed by a first processing unit and before being processed by a second processing unit falls within a target range.

15. a program for calculating a supply amount of rinse liquid, which causes a computer to function as a control unit that calculates the supply amount of rinse liquid supplied to a substrate from a rinse liquid supply mechanism that supplies rinse liquid to a waiting substrate after being processed by a first processing unit and before being processed by a second processing unit, based on the supply amount of rinse liquid per unit time and the time for which the rinse liquid is supplied.

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