Apparatus including a chamber and a sensor, and method of using the apparatus

Abstract

To provide an apparatus including a chamber and a sensor for accurately determining the position of a workpiece when the workpiece is in the processing chamber, and to provide a method of using the apparatus.SOLUTION: In the system 100, the substrate transfer tool 110, which transfers workpieces between any of the curing apparatus 101, the post-exposure bake apparatus 103, and any one or more substrate pods, includes one or more substrate positioning tools that precisely position the workpieces. The controller 150 is coupled to the curing apparatus 101, the post-exposure bake apparatus 103, and the substrate transfer tool 110, and the memory 152, and controls components in the system 100 including the curing apparatus 101, the post-exposure bake apparatus 103, and the substrate transfer tool 110.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an apparatus including a chamber and a sensor, and a method of using the apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] A workpiece may be processed in a processing chamber. If the workpiece is properly positioned in the chamber, the workpiece will not be damaged or misprocessed in the chamber. During processing, the processing chamber may be a harsh environment for a positioning sensor used to position the workpiece. Depending on the processing environment, it may not be possible to place a positioning sensor inside the processing chamber. Some processing tools position the workpiece before it enters the processing chamber and assume that the substrate positioning tool does not introduce any error between the time the workpiece's position is determined outside the processing chamber and another time after the workpiece is placed in the processing chamber. If any error exists, the chances of the workpiece being damaged or misprocessed increase significantly. There is a need to accurately determine the position of the workpiece while it is in the processing chamber. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In one aspect, an apparatus can include a chamber, a first sensor, and a controller. The chamber includes a processing zone, and the chamber is configured to support a workpiece along a substrate support surface. The first sensor can be configured to receive a first radiation beam configured to pass through the processing zone and to generate a first signal in response to receiving the first radiation beam. The first radiation beam can propagate along a first line that forms a first acute angle with respect to the substrate support surface, and the first sensor is outside the processing zone. The controller can be configured to receive the first signal and to determine first information regarding a position of the workpiece within the chamber in response to receiving the first signal.

[0004] In one embodiment, the first acute angle is in the range of 0° to 9.9°.

[0005] In another embodiment, the workpiece includes a substrate and a hardened planarizing layer.

[0006] In yet another embodiment, the chamber further includes a plurality of substrate support pins having distal ends, the distal ends of at least three of the plurality of substrate support pins being located along the substrate support surface.

[0007] In yet another embodiment, the chamber further includes a lid configured to be moved to a closed position after it is determined that the entire workpiece is within the processing zone, and the lid does not overlap the first sensor from a top view.

[0008] In a further embodiment, the apparatus further includes a second sensor configured to receive a second radiation beam configured to pass through the processing zone and to generate a second signal in response to receiving the second radiation beam. The second radiation beam propagates along a second line that forms a second acute angle with respect to the substrate support surface, and the second sensor is outside the processing zone. The controller is configured to receive the second signal and to determine second information regarding the position of the workpiece in response to receiving the second signal.

[0009] In certain embodiments, the chamber further includes a plurality of substrate support pins configured to move the workpiece in at least an X or Y direction parallel to the substrate support surface.

[0010] In another particular embodiment, the following holds true:

[0011] 0.0°≦|(α-β)|≦0.1° Equation 1

[0012] where α is the first acute angle and β is the second acute angle.

[0013] In yet another particular embodiment, the following holds true:

[0014] 0.1°<|(α-β)|≦9.9° Equation 2

[0015] where α is the first acute angle and β is the second acute angle.

[0016] In a more specific embodiment, the apparatus further includes a third sensor configured to receive a third radiation beam passing through the processing zone and along the substrate support surface and to generate a third signal in response to receiving the third radiation beam. The third radiation beam propagates along a third line that forms a third acute angle with respect to the substrate support surface, and the third sensor is outside the processing zone. The controller is configured to receive the third signal and to determine third information regarding the position of the workpiece in response to receiving the third signal.

[0017] In a more specific embodiment, the first radiation beam, the second radiation beam, and the third radiation beam do not interfere with each other.

[0018] In another embodiment, the processing zone includes a high temperature zone for heating the workpiece.

[0019] In yet another embodiment, the processing zone includes a bake zone for heating the workpiece in an atmosphere having up to 2 mole % O2.

[0020] In certain embodiments, the apparatus includes a post-exposure bake unit that bakes the hardened planarizing layer and a chill unit that cools the workpiece, the post-exposure bake unit and the chill unit being separate entities.

[0021] In yet another embodiment, the processing zone includes a deposition zone for depositing a first material on the workpiece, or an etching zone for etching a second material in the workpiece, or is configured to deposit a third material on the workpiece during a first time point and etch a portion of the third material during a second time point.

[0022] In a further embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a component radiatively coupled to the first sensor, the component comprising a radiation reflector or a radiation emitter, and the apparatus is configured such that (1) the first sensor is at a first height above the height of the substrate support surface and the component is at a second height below the height of the substrate support surface, or (2) the first sensor is at a third height below the height of the substrate support surface and the component is at a fourth height above the substrate support surface.

[0023] In another aspect, an apparatus includes a chamber including a processing zone and supporting a workpiece along a substrate support surface, a first substrate positioning tool for moving the workpiece into the processing zone along a chamber entry path along a first line, and a second substrate positioning tool for moving the workpiece out of the processing zone along a chamber exit path along a second line that intersects the first line in a top view. The apparatus can further include a first sensor for receiving a first radiation beam passing through the processing zone along the substrate support surface and generating a first signal in response to receiving the first radiation beam. The first sensor is positioned outside the processing zone and does not contact the workpiece, the first substrate positioning tool, or the second substrate positioning tool when the workpiece is moved along each of the chamber entry path and the chamber exit path.

[0024] In one embodiment, the chamber further includes a plurality of substrate support pins having distal ends, and the apparatus further includes a support pin actuator that reversibly moves the plurality of substrate support pins between a retracted state and an extended state, wherein in the extended state, the distal ends of three of the plurality of substrate support pins lie along the substrate support surface.

[0025] In another embodiment, the apparatus further includes a cooling unit and a third substrate positioning tool, and the processing zone is a high temperature zone, the first substrate positioning tool is configured to load the workpiece into the high temperature zone along a chamber entry path, the second substrate positioning tool is configured to remove the workpiece from the high temperature zone along a chamber exit path and load the workpiece into the cooling unit along a cooling unit entry path, and the third substrate positioning tool is configured to remove the workpiece from the cooling unit along a cooling unit exit path.

[0026] In a further aspect, a method for manufacturing an electronic device includes loading a workpiece onto support pins having distal ends, where the distal ends of at least three support pins are located along a substrate support surface, the support pins being within a processing zone of a chamber, and receiving a first radiation beam with a first sensor, where the first radiation beam propagates along a line that forms a first acute angle with the substrate support surface, and the first sensor being located outside the processing zone. The method may further include generating, by the first sensor, a first signal in response to receiving the first radiation beam, receiving the first signal with a controller, and determining, by the controller, first information regarding a position of the workpiece in response to receiving the first signal.

[0027] In one embodiment, during loading of the workpiece onto the support pins, the workpiece includes a substrate and a hardened planarizing layer, and the substrate is positioned between the support pins and the hardened planarizing layer.

[0028] In another embodiment, the method further comprises baking the hardened planarization layer in the processing zone to form a baked planarization layer, wherein baking the hardened planarization layer occurs after determining the first information. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0029] Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the accompanying figures.

[0030] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 includes a conceptual diagram of a system that may be used in forming a baked planarization layer on a substrate.

[0031] [Figure 2] FIG. 2 includes a conceptual diagram of a post-exposure bake apparatus for the system of FIG.

[0032] [Figure 3] FIG. 3 includes a cross-sectional view of the post-exposure bake section of the bake apparatus of FIG.

[0033] [Figure 4A] FIG. 4A includes a top view of a particular post-exposure bake station of the bake apparatus of FIG.

[0034] [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B includes a cross-sectional view of the sensor housing containing the sensor and radiation emitter.

[0035] [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the chamber of the post-exposure bake unit of FIG. 4A with the substrate support pins in an extended state and further including the sensor housing-component pair and its corresponding radiation beam.

[0036] [Figure 6] FIG. 6 includes a top view of a workpiece, a sensor housing-component pair, and a corresponding radiation beam, according to one embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 includes a cross-sectional view of a workpiece, a sensor housing-component pair, and a corresponding radiation beam, according to one embodiment.

[0037] [Figure 8] FIG. 8 includes a top view of a workpiece, a sensor housing-component pair, and a corresponding radiation beam according to another embodiment. [Figure 9]FIG. 9 includes a cross-sectional view of a workpiece, a sensor housing-component pair, and a corresponding radiation beam according to another embodiment.

[0038] [Figure 10] FIG. 10 includes a top view of a workpiece, a sensor housing-component pair, and a corresponding radiation beam according to a further embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 includes a cross-sectional view of a workpiece, a sensor housing-component pair, and a corresponding radiation beam according to a further embodiment.

[0039] [Figure 12] FIG. 12 includes a conceptual diagram of an apparatus that can be used to deposit a layer or etch a workpiece.

[0040] [Figure 13] FIG. 13 includes a cross-sectional view of a workpiece including a substrate and a hardened planarizing layer overlying the substrate.

[0041] [Figure 14] FIG. 14 includes a process flow diagram of a method for forming a baked planarization layer from the hardened planarization layer of FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 includes a process flow diagram of a method for forming a baked planarization layer from the hardened planarization layer of FIG.

[0042] [Figure 16] FIG. 16 includes a cross-sectional view of a portion of a post-exposure bake unit including a substrate chuck, a plurality of substrate support pins in a retracted position, a chamber lid, and a processing zone.

[0043] [Figure 17] FIG. 17 includes a cross-sectional view of a portion of the post-exposure bake unit of FIG. 16 after the plurality of substrate support pins have been extended.

[0044] [Figure 18]FIG. 18 includes a cross-sectional view of a portion of the post-exposure bake station of FIG. 4A after the workpiece of FIG. 13 has been placed on a plurality of substrate support pins.

[0045] [Figure 19] FIG. 19 includes a cross-sectional view of a portion of the post-exposure bake unit of FIG. 17 after the workpiece of FIG. 13 has been placed on a plurality of substrate support pins.

[0046] [Figure 20] FIG. 20 includes a cross-sectional view of a portion of the post-exposure bake unit of FIG. 19 after the chamber lid has been lowered to a closed position.

[0047] [Figure 21] FIG. 21 includes a cross-sectional view of a portion of the post-exposure bake unit of FIG. 20 after the plurality of substrate support pins have been retracted.

[0048] [Figure 22] FIG. 22 includes a cross-sectional view of a portion of the post-exposure bake unit of FIG. 21 including resistive heating elements and radiative heaters.

[0049] [Figure 23] FIG. 23 includes a cross-sectional view of a portion of the post-exposure bake unit of FIG. 22 after the plurality of substrate support pins have been extended and the chamber lid has been raised.

[0050] [Figure 24] FIG. 24 includes a top view of a portion of the post-exposure bake station of FIG. 18 after moving the substrate positioning tool under the workpiece.

[0051] [Figure 25] FIG. 25 includes a top view of a portion of the post-exposure bake station of FIG. 24 after the workpiece has been transferred from the post-exposure bake unit to the cooling unit.

[0052] [Figure 26] FIG. 26 includes a cross-sectional view of a workpiece overlaying a portion of the cooling unit of FIG. 25, the cooling unit including a substrate chuck having a flow channel.

[0053] [Figure 27] FIG. 27 includes a top view of a portion of the post-exposure bake station of FIG. 25 after the workpiece has been removed from the cooling unit.

[0054] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help understand the implementation of the concepts of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0055] The following description in combination with the drawings is provided to aid in understanding the teachings disclosed herein. The following discussion focuses on specific embodiments of the teachings. This focus is provided to help explain the teachings and should not be construed as a limitation on the scope or applicability of the teachings.

[0056] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and are not intended to be limiting. To the extent not described herein, many details regarding specific materials and processing operations are conventional and can be found in textbooks and other sources in the art.

[0057] The apparatus may include sensors that can be used to ensure that the workpiece is positioned correctly while it is within the processing zone of the chamber. As used herein, the workpiece can be the substrate itself if there are no layers above or below it, or the combination of the substrate and layers if there are one or more layers above or below it. During processing, the workpiece may be at high temperatures (e.g., at least 100°C) or may be exposed to harsh environments that may contain toxic, corrosive, flammable, pyrophoric, or other hazardous gases. The sensors may not be designed to withstand harsh environments, and therefore, the sensors may be located outside the processing zone.

[0058] The present apparatus and corresponding method represent an improvement over conventional apparatus. In conventional apparatuses having harsh processing environments, the position of a workpiece is determined when the workpiece is outside the processing chamber. A substrate positioning tool is used to position the workpiece within the processing chamber, but the position of the workpiece is not directly determined when the workpiece is within the processing chamber. An assumption is made that the substrate positioning tool is operating properly and is properly calibrated. This assumption can be incorrect if the substrate positioning tool of a conventional apparatus is not operating properly, if the workpiece is misaligned on the positioning tool, or if the substrate positioning tool is out of calibration. Thus, the potential for damaging or mishandling a workpiece using conventional apparatus is substantially greater than the apparatus shown and described herein. The innovative apparatus and method eliminate the potential for the problems described herein with respect to conventional apparatus.

[0059] In one embodiment, an apparatus may include a chamber, a sensor, and a controller. The chamber may include a processing zone, the chamber configured to support a workpiece along a substrate support surface. The sensor may be configured to receive a radiation beam adapted to pass through the processing zone and to generate a signal in response to receiving the radiation beam. The radiation beam may propagate along a line that forms an acute angle with the substrate support surface, the sensor being outside the processing zone. The controller may be configured to receive the signal and to determine information regarding the position of the workpiece in response to receiving the signal. A method for manufacturing an electronic device may use the apparatus to ensure that the workpiece is properly positioned while in the processing chamber. The apparatus and method will be better understood when read in conjunction with the drawings. The embodiments described below are exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventive concepts.

[0060] A system 100 shown in FIG. 1 can be used for this method. This apparatus is well suited for an inkjet adaptive planarization (IAP) process. The system 100 can be used to form a baked planarization layer from a polymerizable composition. The system 100 can include a curing apparatus 101, a post-exposure bake apparatus 103, a substrate transfer tool 110, a controller 150, and a memory 152. Referring to FIG. 1, the curing apparatus 101 includes components capable of dispensing a polymerizable composition, planarizing the polymerizable composition to form a pre-cured planarization layer, and curing the pre-cured planarization layer to form a hardened planarization layer. Techniques for hardening the pre-cured planarization layer can include photocuring, low-temperature thermal curing, pressure curing, and chemical curing. The post-exposure bake apparatus 103 can be used to bake the hardened planarization layer to form a baked planarization layer. The polymerizable composition is mostly hardened before baking. Some hardening can occur during the post-exposure bake operation. Thus, as used herein, a "cured planarizing layer" can refer to a planarizing layer that is partially cured but not fully cured. A low temperature thermal cure is distinguished from a bake herein in that there are little or no atmospheric concerns when a low temperature thermal cure is used, and therefore a chamber lid with close tolerances between the workpiece and the chamber lid is not required to control the bake atmosphere.

[0061] 2 includes a conceptual diagram of the post-exposure bake apparatus 103. The post-exposure bake apparatus 103 includes a post-exposure bake section 270, a substrate transfer tool 210, a controller 250, and a memory 252. The post-exposure bake section 270 may include substrate pods 271 and 291 and a post-exposure bake station 280. The post-exposure bake station 280 may further polymerize or crosslink the polymerizable composition in the hardened planarization layer by thermal curing, induce different reactions of components in the polymerizable composition, drive off volatile components in the polymerizable composition, etc. Each post-exposure bake station 280 may include a post-exposure bake unit 282 and a cooling unit 286, where the post-exposure bake unit 282 includes a substrate chuck 284 and the cooling unit 286 includes a substrate chuck 288.

[0062] The components within system 100 are described in more detail below. Components that provide similar functionality, such as substrate transfer tools 110 and 210, are treated together in the following description.

[0063] Substrate transfer tool 110 may be configured to transfer workpieces between any of curing apparatus 101, post-exposure bake apparatus 103, and any one or more substrate pods. Substrate transfer tool 210 may be configured to transfer at least one workpiece to or from any of substrate pods 271 and 291, post-exposure bake unit 282, and cooling unit 286 of post-exposure bake station 280, and any one or more other substrate pods. One or both of substrate transfer tools 110 and 210 may include one or more substrate positioning tools configured to accurately position the workpiece.

[0064] The substrate transfer tools 110 and 210 may be at least one component of an Equipment Front End Module (EFEM), or may include at least one component of an EFEM. The EFEM components may include at least one of a robot arm, a robot hand configured to hold a workpiece, a sensor, a motor for moving the robot arm, another motor for moving the robot arm, etc. The robot arm may be configured to move a workpiece, with or without a layer, between stations, such as between any of the substrate pods 271 and 291, any of the post-exposure bake units 282, any of the cooling units 286, or a combination thereof. The substrate transfer tool 210 of FIG. 2 may be the same as or different from the substrate transfer tool 110 of FIG. 1.

[0065] Controller 150 is coupled to curing apparatus 101, post-exposure bake apparatus 103, and substrate transfer tool 110, as well as memory 152, and can control components in system 100, including curing apparatus 101, post-exposure bake apparatus 103, and substrate transfer tool 110. Except as expressly indicated when describing specific details of system 100, a description of controller 150 may apply to controller 250, and a description of memory 152 may apply to memory 252.

[0066] Any combination of controllers, including controllers 150 and 250, can communicate with each other as needed or desired. For example, one or both of controllers 150 and 250 can be used to verify that a particular lot of substrates having a hardened planarizing layer in a substrate pod within post exposure bake section 270 have completed processing in curing apparatus 101 before the substrates and hardened planarizing layer are baked in post exposure bake unit 282 within post exposure bake section 270.

[0067] Controllers 150 and 250 may operate using computer-readable programs optionally stored in memory 152 or 252. Either or both of controllers 150 and 250 may include a processor (e.g., a central processing unit of a microprocessor or microcontroller), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. Either or both of controllers 150 and 250 may further include internal memory such as a set of registers, cache memory, flash memory, etc.

[0068] Controllers 150 and 250 may be located within system 100. In another embodiment, at least one component, i.e., post-exposure bake station 280, post-exposure bake unit 282, cooling unit 286, or a combination thereof, may include a local controller that provides some of the functionality provided by controllers 150 or 250. More or fewer controllers and more or less memory may be used with respect to system 100. In another embodiment of the system (not shown), one or both of controllers 150 and 250 may be at least part of a computer external to system 100, such computer being bidirectionally coupled to system 100.

[0069] Any or all of memories 152 and 252 may include non-transitory computer-readable media containing instructions for performing operations related to or between operations. One or both of memories 152 and 252 may include a set of registers, cache memory, flash memory, a hard drive, etc. One or both of memories 152 and 252 may further include data tables that may be accessed by one or both of controllers 150 and 250 to aid in determining operational parameters, such as parameters used in dispensing and curing a polymerizable composition to form a hardened planarization layer, the position of a workpiece within a chamber, a post-exposure bake temperature, or another parameter used in the methods described below.

[0070] More or fewer controllers and more or less memory may be used with system 100. In another embodiment, a single controller may perform all of the functions described with respect to controllers 150 and 250. Thus, one controller rather than two controllers may be used with system 100. In a further embodiment, controller 150 may control curing apparatus 101 and post-exposure bake apparatus 103, thus eliminating the need for controller 250, or controller 250 may control curing apparatus 101 and post-exposure bake apparatus 103, thus eliminating the need for controller 150. In another embodiment, a single memory rather than two or three memories may be used with system 100.

[0071] Substrate pods 271 and 291 can hold multiple workpieces. One example of a substrate pod is a front-opening integrated pod (FOUP), which is defined by industry standards (e.g., SEMI E47.1-1106, 2012) as a pod for storing and transporting workpieces. The apparatus described herein may include bonding plates, interface holes, and load ports for receiving or transferring substrates to one to four substrate pods. Workpieces may be removed from substrate pod 271 or 291, processed in at least one of post-exposure bake stations 280, and returned to substrate pod 271, 291, or another substrate pod once the bake operation is complete.

[0072] The post-exposure bake unit 282 is configured to bake the hardened planarization layer to form a baked planarization layer. The post-exposure bake unit 282 may have a heating means. The temperature used for the post-exposure bake may be at least 300°C. The highest processing temperature associated with the post-exposure bake station 280 may be as high as 500°C. The heating means may supply heat by thermal radiation, thermal conduction, or thermal convection. Non-limiting examples of the heating means may include a radiant heating element (e.g., a heat lamp), a resistive heating element, a fan, or a pump for injecting or recirculating a heated gas (which may be heated within or outside the chamber) into the chamber of the post-exposure bake unit 282.

[0073] The cooling unit 286 is configured to cool the workpiece, including the substrate and baked planarization layer, so that the workpiece can be transferred to the substrate pod without damaging the substrate transfer tool, the substrate pod, or the workpiece. The cooling unit 286 can have a cooling means. The cooling means can cool by thermal conduction or thermal convection. Non-limiting embodiments of the cooling means can include a pump to pump a cooling liquid through the substrate chuck, a valve to allow compressed gas to expand within the chamber, and a fan or pump to inject or recirculate cooling gas (which may or may not be cooled outside the chamber) within the cooling unit 286. Examples of cooling gases include clean dry air, Ar, N, CO, or room temperature air in the ambient environment outside the post-exposure bake apparatus 103.

[0074] The substrate chucks 284, 288 can be vacuum chucks, pin-type chucks, groove-type chucks, electrostatic chucks, electromagnetic chucks, etc. The substrate chucks 284, 288 can be the same type, e.g., vacuum chucks, or different types. The substrate chucks 284 and 288 can include a limited number of support mechanisms that directly contact the workpiece. For example, one of the substrate chucks can be a vacuum chuck, and the other of the substrate chucks can be an electrostatic chuck or an electromagnetic chuck. Each of the substrate chucks 284, 288 may or may not have a heating element, a cooling element, or both, that can be used to heat or cool the workpiece and, if present, a superstrate overlying the workpiece. Further details of substrate chuck design are described later in this specification.

[0075] Further details regarding the post-exposure bake section 270 will be provided before describing a method of using the post-exposure bake apparatus 103, which has a base 303 on which one or more post-exposure bake stations 280 can be arranged. FIG. 3 shows multiple post-exposure bake stations 280 organized as a matrix of two columns and three rows. Alternative embodiments may use more or fewer post-exposure bake stations 280, or other arrangements of post-exposure bake stations 280. By stacking the post-exposure bake stations 280, the footprint of the post-exposure bake stations 280 can be reduced. The number of post-exposure bake stations 280 in a stack can be two or more. Due to limitations on the height of the room in which the post-exposure bake stations 280 are located and the height of each radiation exposure station, the number of post-exposure bake stations 280 in a stack can be limited to nine stations, seven stations, or five stations. The number of stacks can be one or more. The number of stacks may be limited by the available floor space in the room the curing section is located in. The number of stacks in the post-exposure bake station 280 may be limited to 9 stacks, 7 stacks, or 5 stacks.

[0076] FIG. 4A illustrates a portion of the substrate transfer tool 210 and one of the post-exposure bake stations 280. The substrate transfer tool 210 includes a substrate positioning tool robot hand 416 configured to move a workpiece along a chamber entry path into a processing zone 486, indicated by a dashed line. In one embodiment, the processing zone 486 is a high-temperature zone, more specifically, a bake zone. Although not shown, the substrate positioning tool may also include a robot arm coupled to the robot hand 416, a motor for moving the robot arm, another motor for moving the robot arm, etc. In alternative embodiments, a different substrate positioning tool may be used. If the workpieces are positioned such that any of them are located outside the processing zone 486, the workpieces will be damaged when the lid (not shown in FIG. 4A) is lowered onto the chamber base.

[0077] The post-exposure bake unit 282 further includes a plurality of substrate support pins 476. The substrate support pins 476 can raise and lower the workpiece in the Z direction (perpendicular to the plane of the page). If necessary or desired, the plurality of substrate support pins 476 can be configured to move in the X direction, the Y direction, or both. The X and Y directions can be substantially parallel to a substrate support surface 576, described below with reference to FIG. 5, and the Z direction can be substantially perpendicular to the substrate support surface 576. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012 / 0130529-A1 shows and describes an example of an apparatus that can move the substrate support pins in the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction. In another embodiment, the plurality of substrate support pins do not move in the Z direction but can raise and lower the chucking surface of the substrate chuck. In such an embodiment, the plurality of substrate support pins may or may not be configured to move in the X direction, the Y direction, or both the X and Y directions. The plurality of substrate support pins 476 can be coupled to a support pin actuator 478 (shown in FIG. 5). The support pin actuator 478 can be adapted to extend or retract the plurality of substrate support pins 476, or to positions between fully extended and fully retracted, and may or may not be configured to move the plurality of substrate support pins 476 in the X and Y directions. The support pin actuator 478 may or may not be located within the substrate chuck 284. To simplify understanding of the post exposure bake apparatus 103 and its operation, the support pin actuator 478 is not shown in the other figures, although it may be present.

[0078] The post-exposure bake station 280 further includes another substrate positioning tool 414 capable of transporting a workpiece from the post-exposure bake unit 282 to the cooling unit 286. The substrate positioning tool 414 is configured to move the workpiece along a chamber exit path out of the processing zone 486 and along a cooling unit entry path to the substrate chuck 288 of the cooling unit 286. The substrate positioning tool 414 includes a body 434 coupled to the rail 424 and having an arm 436 extending therefrom. The arm 436 is coupled to a workpiece on the substrate chuck 284, and the substrate positioning tool 414 can lift and transfer the workpiece from the post-exposure bake unit 282 to the cooling unit 286, lower the workpiece onto the substrate chuck 288, and move the arm 436 away from the workpiece. The substrate chuck 288 includes a plurality of substrate support pins 496, which may be substantially identical to or different from the plurality of substrate support pins 476. The plurality of substrate support pins 496 may have corresponding support pin actuators that can provide any of the functions described above with respect to support pin actuator 478. Arm 436 may include an edge-gripping end effector or a bottom-supporting edge effector that is used to hold workpiece 622. Arm 436 can extend and retract the end effector (also called a hand) from between substrate support pins 476 and substrate support pins 496. The transfer process may include the steps of raising the workpiece 622 with the substrate support pins 476, positioning the end effector under the workpiece 622, lowering the substrate support pins 476, moving the arm along the rails 424 until the workpiece covers the substrate chuck 284 of the cooling unit 286, raising the substrate support pins 496 until they support the workpiece 622, removing the end effector from under the workpiece 622, and lowering the substrate support pins 496 until the workpiece 622 rests on the substrate chuck 284.

[0079] The substrate transfer tool 210 includes a substrate positioning tool robotic hand 418 configured to remove the workpiece from the cooling unit along the cooling unit exit path. Although not shown, the substrate positioning tool may include a robot arm coupled to the robot hand 418, a motor for moving the robot arm, another motor for moving the robot arm, etc. In alternative embodiments, a different substrate positioning tool may be used. The substrate positioning tool including the robot hand 418 may be the same as or different from the substrate positioning tool including the robot hand 416.

[0080] During processing, the interior of a chamber of a processing unit, such as the post-exposure bake unit 282, may be used to deposit a layer on a substrate or etch material within the layer or substrate, and therefore may be a harsh processing environment with temperatures significantly above room temperature. Most high-quality radiation sensors, radiation emitters, or both may not be usable in such a harsh processing environment. The inventors have discovered strategic placement of the radiation sensors, radiation emitters, and, if present, radiation reflectors that allow the position of the workpiece to be determined while it is within the chamber, and more specifically, while it is within the processing zone 486. The radiation sensors, radiation emitters, and, if present, radiation reflectors may be positioned so as not to interfere with workpiece movement or proper operation of the chamber, substrate positioning tool, and corresponding support apparatus for either the chamber and substrate positioning tool.

[0081] Post-exposure bake station 280 further includes sensor housings 442, 452, 462 and components 444, 454, 464, which are adjacent to post-exposure bake unit 282 and are used to determine whether a workpiece is properly positioned so as not to be outside of processing zone 486. Each sensor housing-component pair can use a corresponding radiation beam, and the corresponding radiation beams do not interfere with each other.

[0082] Each of the sensor housings 442, 452, 462 includes a sensor and may or may not include a radiation emitter. FIG. 4B includes a cross-sectional view of the sensor housing 442 including a sensor 4422 and a radiation emitter 4424, according to one embodiment. The arrows to the right of the sensor 4422 and the radiation emitter 4424 indicate the direction of radiation propagation relative to the sensor 4422 and the radiation emitter 4424. The sensor 4422 can sense radiation emitted by the radiation emitter 4424. In another embodiment, the sensor housing 442 can include the sensor 4422 but not the radiation emitter 4424. Each of the sensor housings 452 and 462 can have any of the embodiments described with respect to the sensor housing 442. The sensor 4422 can include at least one optical element (such as at least one aperture, lens, filter, etc.) to limit the effect of scattered light on the performance of the sensor 4422.

[0083] Components 444, 454, and 464 may include radiation reflectors or radiation emitters. Sensor 4422 in sensor housing 442 is radiatively coupled to component 444, sensor in sensor housing 452 is radiatively coupled to component 454, and sensor in sensor housing 462 is radiatively coupled to component 464. Figure 4A includes a sensor housing 442-component 444 pair, a sensor housing 452-component 454 pair, and a sensor housing 462-component 464 pair.

[0084] In one embodiment, any one or all of the sensor housings 442, 452, 462 may include a sensor and a radiation emitter, and its corresponding component 444, 454, or 464 may be a radiation reflector. Radiation may be emitted from the radiation emitter 4424 in the sensor housing 442 and reflected by the radiation reflector of the component 444 back to the sensor 4422 in the sensor housing 442 where the radiation is sensed. Other sensor housing-component pairs may operate in substantially the same way.

[0085] In another embodiment, any one or all of components 444, 454, 464 may include a radiation emitter rather than a radiation reflector. Radiation may be emitted from the radiation emitter in component 444 and sensed by sensor 4422 in sensor housing 442. In this embodiment, when components 444, 454, 464 are radiation emitters, any or all of sensor housings 442, 452, 462 may have radiation emitters. Although radiation emitters are present in sensor housings 442, 452, 462, the radiation emitters in sensor housings 442, 452, 462 may not be activated when determining the position of the workpiece.

[0086] The following description describes sensor housing-component pairs. Each of the sensor housings includes a sensor and its corresponding radiation emitter, and each of the components includes a radiation reflector. After reading this specification, those skilled in the art will understand that the sensor housing-component pairs can have other designs in which the components are radiation emitters. Thus, radiation can be emitted from the radiation emitters of the components 444, 454, 464 and received by the sensors in the sensor housings 442, 452, 462. Radiation reflectors are not required in this implementation.

[0087] FIG. 5 includes a cross-sectional view of at least a portion of the post-exposure bake unit 282. The post-exposure bake unit 282 further includes a chamber lid 584 having a processing region 586, which in certain embodiments includes at least a cavity within the chamber lid 584. The chamber lid 584 can be moved to a closed position and a raised position without contacting the sensor housing 442 and component 444, the sensor housing 452, component 454 (not shown in FIG. 5), and the sensor housing 462, and component 464 (not shown in FIG. 5) of FIG. 5. The chamber lid 584 may or may not overlap any one or more of the sensor housings 442, 452, 462, and components 444, 454, 464. The bottom surface of the chamber lid 584 does not overlap any of the sensor housings 442, 452, 462, and components 444, 454, 464.

[0088] When the substrate support pins 476 are in an extended state, their tips lie along the substrate support surface 576, as shown by the dashed lines in FIG. 5 . If the post-exposure bake unit 282 includes more substrate support pins, at least three of the substrate support pins lie along the substrate support surface 576. The sensor housing 442-component 444 pair is positioned so that the radiation beam 546 can propagate through and intersect the substrate support surface 576 at an angle α. Depending on the geometry of the processing chamber and its corresponding components and support apparatus, the angle α can be at most 45°, at most 30°, or at most 15°. In the same or different embodiments, the angle α can be an acute angle, at least 0.0°, or at least 0.1°. In certain embodiments, the angle α can range from 0.0° to 9.9°. The inventors have found that limiting the angle α to a narrow acute angle range of 0.1° to 9.9° can improve measurement sensitivity. When the radiation beam is larger than the workpiece 622, the workpiece 622 blocks more of the radiation, resulting in improved sensitivity. Applicant has also found that by limiting the angle α to a narrow acute angle range of 0.1° to 9.9°, interference with other sensors and moving parts in the system can be avoided.

[0089] For any one or more of the other sensor housing-component pairs, the intersection angle between the corresponding radiation beam and substrate support surface 576 may be any of the values ​​previously described for angle α. In one embodiment, the corresponding radiation beam of another sensor housing-component pair may propagate and intersect substrate support surface 576 at angle β. In one embodiment, angle β may be substantially the same as angle α. For example, the absolute value of the difference between the angles is at most 0.1°, or, expressed as an equation, the following holds:

[0090] 0.0°≦|(α-β)|≦0.1° Equation 1

[0091] In another embodiment, angle α can be significantly different from angle β, for example, the absolute value of the difference between the angles is greater than 0.1° and up to 9.9°, or expressed as an equation:

[0092] 0.1°<|(α-β)|≦9.9° Equation 2

[0093] 5 , the sensor housing 442, including the sensor and, if present, its radiation emitter, is at a height below the height of the substrate support surface 576, and the component 444 is at a height above the height of the substrate support surface 576. The elevation angle is measured in a direction perpendicular to the substrate support surface 576 (between the top and bottom of the view in FIG. 5 ). In another embodiment, the sensor housing 442, including the sensor and, if present, its radiation emitter, is at a height above the height of the substrate support surface 576, and the component 444 is at a height below the height of the substrate support surface 576. For any one or more of the other sensor housing-component pairs, the raised portion of the sensor housing-component pair can have any of the relationships relative to the substrate support surface 576 as described above for the sensor housing 442-component 444 pair. Compared to the sensor housing 442-component 444 pair, the other sensor housing-component pairs can have the same or different elevation angle orientation compared to the sensor housing 442-component 444 pair. For example, all of the sensor housings may be at a height below the height of the substrate support surface 576, and all of the component pairs may be at a height above the height of the substrate support surface 576. As another example, one of the sensor housings may be at a height below the height of the substrate support surface 576, and another sensor housing may be at a height above the height of the substrate support surface 576.

[0094] 6-11 are diagrams illustrating exemplary positional relationships between a workpiece 622, a sensor housing-component pair, and a corresponding radiation beam. Figures 6 and 7 include top and side views, respectively, of a design that can be used to determine the position of the workpiece 622. Figure 6 includes sensor housings 642, 652, 662, components 644, 654, 664, and radiation beams 646, 656, 666. In the illustrated embodiment, the sensor housings 642, 652, 662 include sensors and radiation emitters, and the components 644, 654, 664 include radiation reflectors that reflect radiation emitted by the radiation emitters.

[0095] A radiation emitter in the sensor housing 642 emits a radiation beam 646 that is reflected by the radiation reflector at a radiation intensity shown as portion 6462 of the radiation beam 646. When the radiation beam 646 is reflected back to the sensor, it may be at least partially blocked by the workpiece 622. Depending on the position of the workpiece 622, the radiation beam 646 may or may not be completely blocked by the workpiece 622. Portion 6464 of the radiation beam 646 is narrower than portion 6462 to illustrate the reduced radiation intensity caused by the workpiece 622 partially blocking the radiation beam 646. In a further embodiment, the component 644 is a radiation emitter that emits a radiation beam 646 in which portion 6462 is at least partially blocked by the workpiece 622 to form portion 6464 that is received by the sensor 4422 in the sensor housing 642. The radiation is received by a sensor in sensor housing 642 resulting in a radiation intensity corresponding to portion 6464. Data can be collected that correlates the intensity of the radiation beam received by the sensor in sensor housing 642 with the distance perpendicular to radiation beam 646.

[0096] Similar relationships are found for other sensor housing-component pairs and radiation beams. A radiation emitter in sensor housing 652 emits a radiation beam 656 that is reflected by a radiation reflector with a radiation intensity shown as portion 6562 of radiation beam 656. When radiation beam 656 is reflected back to the sensor, it may be at least partially blocked by workpiece 622. Depending on the position of workpiece 622, radiation beam 656 may or may not be completely blocked by workpiece 622. Portion 6564 of radiation beam 656 is narrower than portion 6562 to illustrate the reduced radiation intensity caused by workpiece 622 partially blocking radiation beam 656. In a further embodiment, component 654 is a radiation emitter that emits radiation beam 656, where portion 6562 is at least partially blocked by workpiece 622 to form portion 6564 that is received by sensor 4422 in sensor housing 652. The radiation is received by a sensor in sensor housing 652 resulting in a radiation intensity corresponding to portion 6564. Data can be collected that correlates the intensity of the radiation beam received at the sensor in sensor housing 652 with the distance perpendicular to radiation beam 656.

[0097] The radiation emitter of the sensor housing 662 emits a radiation beam 666 that is reflected by the radiation reflector at a radiation intensity shown as portion 6662 of the radiation beam 666. When the radiation beam 666 is reflected back to the sensor, it may be at least partially blocked by the workpiece 622. Depending on the position of the workpiece 622, the radiation beam 666 may or may not be completely blocked by the workpiece 622. Portion 6664 of the radiation beam 666 is narrower than portion 6662 and exhibits a reduced radiation intensity due to the workpiece 622 at least partially blocking the radiation beam 666. In a further embodiment, the component 664 is a radiation emitter that emits a radiation beam 666 in which portion 6262 is at least partially blocked by the workpiece 622 to form portion 6664 that is received by the sensor 4422 of the sensor housing 662. The radiation is received by the sensor in sensor housing 662, resulting in a radiation intensity corresponding to portion 6664. Data can be collected that correlates the intensity of the radiation beam received at the sensor in sensor housing 662 with the distance perpendicular to radiation beam 666.

[0098] 7 includes a side view of the workpiece 622, sensor housings 642, 652, 662, components 644, 654, 664, and radiation beams 646, 656, 666. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the sensor housings 642, 652, 662 are at an elevation above the elevation of the substrate support surface 576, and the components 644, 654, 664 are at an elevation below the elevation of the substrate support surface 576.

[0099] In alternative embodiments, fewer or more sensor housing-component pairs may be used to determine the position of the workpiece while it is in post-exposure bake unit 282. Figures 8 and 9 include top and side views, respectively, of a design that can be used to determine the position of workpiece 622. Figure 8 includes sensor housings 842 and 852, components 844 and 854, and radiation beams 846 and 856. In the illustrated embodiment, sensor housings 842 and 852 include sensors and radiation emitters, and components 844 and 854 include radiation reflectors that reflect radiation emitted by the radiation emitters.

[0100] The radiation emitter of the sensor housing 842 emits a radiation beam 846 that is reflected by the radiation reflector with a radiation intensity shown as portion 8462 of the radiation beam 846. When the radiation beam 846 is reflected back to the sensor, it may be at least partially blocked by the workpiece 622 depending on where the workpiece 622 is located. Depending on the position of the workpiece 622, the radiation beam 846 may or may not be completely blocked by the workpiece 622. Portion 8464 of the radiation beam 846 is narrower than portion 8462 to illustrate the reduced radiation intensity caused by the workpiece 622 partially blocking the radiation beam 846. In a further embodiment, the component 844 is a radiation emitter that emits a radiation beam 846 in which portion 8462 is at least partially blocked by the workpiece 622 to form portion 8464 that is received by the sensor 4422 of the sensor housing 842. The radiation is received by the sensor in sensor housing 842, resulting in a radiation intensity corresponding to portion 8464. Data can be collected that correlates the intensity of the radiation beam received at the sensor in sensor housing 842 with the distance perpendicular to radiation beam 846.

[0101] The radiation emitter of the sensor housing 852 emits a radiation beam 856 that is reflected by the radiation reflector at a radiation intensity shown as portion 8562 of the radiation beam 856. When the radiation beam 856 is reflected back to the sensor, it may be at least partially blocked by the workpiece 622. Depending on the position of the workpiece 622, the radiation beam 656 may or may not be completely blocked by the workpiece 622. In a further embodiment, the component 854 is a radiation emitter that emits the radiation beam 856, where portion 8562 of the radiation beam 856 is at least partially blocked by the workpiece 622 to form portion 8564 that is received by the sensor 4422 of the sensor housing 852. Portion 8564 of the radiation beam 856 is narrower than portion 8562 to illustrate the reduced radiation intensity caused by the workpiece 622 partially blocking the radiation beam 856. The radiation is received by the sensor in sensor housing 852, resulting in a radiation intensity corresponding to portion 8564. Data can be collected that correlates the intensity of the radiation beam received at the sensor in sensor housing 852 with the distance perpendicular to radiation beam 856.

[0102] 9 includes a side view of workpiece 622, sensor housings 842 and 852, components 844 and 854, and radiation beams 846 and 856. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, sensor housings 842 and 852 are at an elevation above the elevation of substrate support surface 576, and components 844 and 854 are at an elevation below the elevation of substrate support surface 576.

[0103] In further embodiments, one or more of the radiation beams may be partially or completely unblocked by the workpiece. The intensity of the radiation beam sensed by the sensor may be substantially the same as the intensity of the radiation beam emitted by the radiation emitter. Figures 10 and 11 include top and side views, respectively, of designs that may be used to determine the position of the workpiece 622. The positions of the sensor housing-component pairs are similar to, but different from, the positions of the sensor housing-component pairs in Figures 6 and 7.

[0104] 10 includes sensor housings 1042, 1052, 1062, components 1044, 1054, 1064, and radiation beams 1046, 1056, 1066. In the illustrated embodiment, the sensor housings 1042, 1052, 1062 contain sensors and radiation emitters, and the components 1044, 1054, 1064 contain radiation reflectors that reflect radiation emitted by the radiation emitters.

[0105] A radiation emitter in sensor housing 1042 emits radiation beam 1046. At a location closest to workpiece 622, radiation beam 1046 passes between workpiece 622 and the outer boundary of process zone 486 and is reflected by component 1044 where it is received by a sensor in sensor housing 1042, as shown by the dashed line. A radiation emitter in sensor housing 1052 emits radiation beam 1056. At a location closest to workpiece 622, radiation beam 1056 passes between workpiece 622 and the outer boundary of process zone 486 and is reflected by component 1054 where it is received by a sensor in sensor housing 1052. A radiation emitter in sensor housing 1062 emits radiation beam 1066. Proximate the workpiece 622, the radiation beam 1066 passes between the workpiece 622 and the outer boundary of the process zone 486 and is reflected by the element 1064 where it is received by the sensor in the sensor housing 1062. The controller 250 (FIG. 2) or a local controller can receive signals from the sensors in the sensor housings 1042, 1052, 1062 and determine whether the detected radiation has sufficient intensity to correspond to the radiation beam 1046, 1056, 1066 being unobstructed by the workpiece 622.

[0106] The sensor may be activated when the workpiece 622 is within a threshold distance (e.g., 0.5 mm) of the outer boundary of the processing zone 486 defined by the inner wall of the chamber lid 584 adjacent to the workpiece 622 when the chamber lid 584 is lowered. The threshold distance may be determined in part by one or more design criteria, such as the size of the radiation beam, the positioning accuracy of the robot hand 416, and variations in the outer edge of the processing zone 486. The gap between the geometry of the radiation beam and the outer boundary of the processing zone 486 may be set such that, in the worst-case direction of movement, the radiation beam is at least partially blocked before the workpiece offset increases beyond a safe threshold.

[0107] 11 includes a side view of workpiece 622, sensor housings 1042, 1052, 1062, components 1044, 1054, 1064, and radiation beams 1046, 1056, 1066. In the embodiment shown in Figure 11, sensor housings 1042 and 1052 are at an elevation below the elevation of substrate support surface 576, and sensor housing 1062 is at an elevation above the elevation of substrate support surface 576. Components 1044 and 1054 are at an elevation above the elevation of substrate support surface 576, and component 1064 is at an elevation below the elevation of substrate support surface 576.

[0108] 6-11 may include a radiation emitter rather than a radiation reflector. A radiation beam is emitted from the radiation emitter and at least a portion of the intensity of the radiation beam is received by the sensor without the use of a radiation reflector as described above.

[0109] The concepts described herein are not limited to equipment used to bake a hardened planarization layer. Other processing tools can use workpiece positioning designs and methods to ensure the workpiece is properly positioned within the chamber before processing. Figure 12 includes a conceptual diagram of a processing device 1200. The processing device 1200 can be a high-temperature processing device, a deposition device configured to deposit material on the workpiece, an etching device configured to etch the workpiece, or the like. The high-temperature processing device can activate dopants implanted in the workpiece or react silicon with metal to form silicides. The deposition device, the etching device, or both can flow toxic, corrosive, flammable, pyrophoric, or other hazardous gases. The deposition device, the etching device, or both may or may not operate at temperatures greater than 100°C. Any or all of the foregoing may perform processing in harsh environments that may include high temperatures, toxic, corrosive, flammable, pyrophoric, or other hazardous gases.

[0110] The processing apparatus 1200 includes a processing section 1270, a substrate transfer tool 1210, a controller 1250, and a memory 1252. The processing section 1270 may include a substrate pod 1271 and a processing station 1276, which may include a substrate chuck 1286. The processing station 1276 may be used for high temperature processing, deposition, etching, etc., and thus may have a high temperature zone, a deposition zone, an etching zone, etc., similar to processing zone 486. The substrate transfer tool 1210, the controller 1250, and the memory 1252 may be any of those described above with respect to the substrate transfer tool 210, the controller 250, and the memory 252, respectively.

[0111] As described above, attention is now directed to a method of forming a baked planarization layer using system 100 including curing apparatus 101 and post-exposure bake apparatus 103. In the described embodiment, the sensor housing-component pair includes a sensor housing including a sensor and a radiation emitter, and the component includes a radiation reflector that reflects radiation from the radiation emitter to the sensor. The position of the sensor housing-component pair is shown and described with respect to FIGS. 6 and 7, where the workpiece partially blocks, but does not completely block, the radiation beam as it propagates from the radiation reflector to the sensor. In other embodiments, the sensor housing-component pair can have one as shown and described with respect to FIGS. 8-11. In either the same or different embodiments, the sensor housing-component pair can include a sensor housing, each of which may or may not include a radiation emitter, and the component may be the radiation emitter.

[0112] 13, workpiece 1300 may include substrate 1322 and hardened planarizing layer 1324. Workpiece 1300 at this point in the method may be processed in curing apparatus 101, and hardened planarizing layer 1324 may be formed from the polymerizable composition.

[0113] This method may include extending the plurality of substrate support pins in block 1422 of Figure 14. Figure 16 includes a cross-sectional view of a portion of the post-exposure bake unit 282. In the post-exposure bake unit 282, the plurality of substrate support pins 476 are in a retracted state within the substrate chuck 284. In Figure 16 and subsequent figures, only two substrate support pins are shown to simplify understanding of the post-exposure bake unit 282 during processing. In practice, the plurality of substrate support pins 476 may include three or more substrate support pins.

[0114] The controller 250 or a local controller may send a signal that is received by the support pin actuator 478 to extend the plurality of substrate support pins 476 such that the plurality of substrate support pins 476 are in an extended state, as shown in Figure 17. The distal ends of at least three substrate support pins (two of which are shown in Figure 17) may be located along the substrate support surface 576.

[0115] The method may include positioning a workpiece on a plurality of substrate support pins in block 1424 of FIG. 14 . Referring to FIG. 18 , a substrate positioning tool including a robot hand 416 of a substrate transfer tool 210 is used to move a workpiece 1300 into a post-exposure bake unit 282. The workpiece 1300 may be moved into the post-exposure bake unit 282 along a chamber entry path 1816. The workpiece 1300 is positioned on a plurality of substrate support pins 476, as shown in FIG. 19 . A substrate 1322 is disposed between a hardened planarization layer 1324 and the plurality of substrate support pins 476. The bottom surface of the workpiece 1300 is located substantially along the substrate support surface 576. The workpiece may have the form of a wafer having a diameter of 200 mm, 300 mm, or 400 mm. The gap between the workpiece 1300 and the periphery of the processing zone 486 may be at most 5 mm, at most 2.5 mm, or at most 1 mm. If the workpiece 1300 is not properly positioned on the plurality of substrate support pins 476, the workpiece 1300 may be damaged when the chamber lid 584 is lowered.

[0116] The method may include determining whether workpiece 1300 is in the correct position in determining step 1442 of FIG. 14 . Controller 250 or a local controller may send a signal to activate the radiation emitter. This determination may be made using the techniques described with respect to FIGS. 6 and 7 , except that workpiece 622 is replaced with workpiece 1300. In another embodiment, the layout and design of FIGS. 8 and 9 or the designs of FIGS. 10 and 11 may be used as alternatives to the designs of FIGS. 6 and 7 . For either design, the sensor housing-component pair may have either (1) a sensor housing including a sensor and a radiation emitter and a component including a radiation reflector, or (2) a sensor housing including a sensor, which may or may not include a radiation emitter and a component including the radiation emitter. The following description is based on the sensor designs of FIGS. 6 and 7 , where the sensor housing-component pair has a sensor including a radiation emitter and the component is a radiation reflector. After reading this specification, one skilled in the art will be able to design and use post-exposure bake apparatus 103 having different sensor designs, sensor housing-component pairs in which the component contains a radiation emitter, or both.

[0117] 6, 7, and 19, radiation emitters within sensor housings 642, 652, 662 emit radiation that is reflected by components 644, 654, 664, which in this embodiment are radiation reflectors. The reflected radiation is at least partially blocked by workpiece 1300, and such partially blocked radiation is received and sensed by sensors in sensor housings 642, 652, 662 to generate signals that can be sent to controller 250 or a local controller. Signals from the sensors in sensor housings 642, 652, 662 can be sent to and received by controller 250 or a local controller. Controller 250 or a local controller can access data correlating the sensed radiation intensity with a position within the chamber to determine whether workpiece 1300 is within or outside of processing zone 486.

[0118] If the position of the workpiece 1300 indicates that the workpiece is outside the processing zone 486, the workpiece is not in the correct position (the "NO" branch from decision step 1442), and the method proceeds to block 1444 of FIG. 14 to park the equipment. Many different actions can be performed here. For example, the workpiece 1300 can be removed, the substrate transfer tool 210 can be recalibrated, or other maintenance can be performed to ensure that the workpiece is properly positioned in the post-exposure bake unit 282. In another example, the workpiece 1300 can be removed and inspected because it has previously been damaged or has a different shape than the workpiece used in generating empirical data correlating radiation intensity to position in the chamber. Other actions can be performed after the equipment is parked.

[0119] If the position of the workpiece 1300 is such that the workpiece is not outside the processing zone 486, then the workpiece is in the correct position (the "Yes" branch from decision diamond 1442) and the method may further include lowering the chamber lid to close the chamber at block 1462 after the arm is removed from the processing zone 486. The controller 250 or a local controller may send a signal to lower the chamber lid 584 to the closed position and close the chamber, as shown in FIG. 20 . The processing region 586 of the chamber generally corresponds to the cavity in the chamber lid 584. In an alternative embodiment, block 1422 is executed after decision diamond 1442, and block 1424 includes positioning the workpiece 1300 within the processing zone 486. After the workpiece 1300 is in its proper position, the plurality of substrate support pins 476 may be extended to support the workpiece 1300, and the robot hand 416 may be removed so that it does not extend into the processing zone 486.

[0120] The method may include retracting the plurality of substrate support pins at block 1464 of FIG. 14 . Referring to FIGS. 2 and 21 , the controller 250 or the local controller may send a signal that is received by the support pin actuator 478 to move the plurality of substrate support pins 476 from an extended state to a retracted state. The plurality of substrate support pins 476 may be retracted before, after, or while the chamber lid 584 is lowered. The workpiece 1300 may contact the substrate chuck 284 in the post-exposure bake unit 282. The workpiece 1300 may rest on a support of the substrate chuck 284 or may be held in place by vacuum, electrostatic, or electromagnetic force. The controller 250 or the local controller may send a signal to a vacuum actuator or electrostatic or electromagnetic activation circuit of the substrate chuck 284 to hold the workpiece 1300 in place during processing in the post-exposure bake unit 282.

[0121] The method may further include baking the hardened planarizing layer to form a baked planarizing layer at block 1522 of Figure 15. During the baking operation, the material in the hardened planarizing layer 1324 may further polymerize, crosslink, or both. The baking operation also serves to remove relatively volatile components, if present, from the hardened planarizing layer 1324 of Figure 21 in forming the baked planarizing layer 2224 of Figure 22.

[0122] The heating means in the post-exposure bake unit 282 may include a resistive heating element, a radiant heating element, or a gas flow system (e.g., a heater and fan) that provides heated gas for convection heating. FIG. 22 shows a resistive heating element 2284 in the substrate chuck 284 and a radiant heating element 2286, e.g., a heat lamp, disposed above the substrate chuck 284. The heating means shown or described with respect to the post-exposure bake unit of FIG. 22 may also be present in other figures that include the post-exposure bake unit 282, but are not shown in FIG. 22 to facilitate understanding of the post-exposure bake unit 282. Similarly, a plurality of substrate support pins 476 may be present in the post-exposure bake unit 282, but are not shown in FIG. 22 to facilitate understanding of the heating means for the post-exposure bake unit 282.

[0123] The heating means supplies heat at a temperature higher than that used for the radiation exposure operation in the curing apparatus 101. The bake temperature can be at least 300°C, at least 325°C, or at least 350°C. The bake temperature should not be so high as to cause significant decomposition or other adverse effects on the baked planarization layer 2224. The bake temperature can be up to 500°C, up to 450°C, or up to 400°C. The bake temperature can be any value between the minimum and maximum numbers listed above, for example, within the ranges of 300°C to 500°C, 300°C to 450°C, or 300°C to 400°C. In certain implementations, the bake temperature can be in the range of 350°C to 400°C.

[0124] The soak time is the time the workpiece 1300 is at the bake temperature. The soak time should be sufficient to achieve the necessary or desired amount of additional polymerization or crosslinking, or to reduce the amount of volatile components in the polymer layer to a desired amount, or both. The soak time can be at least 0.25 minutes, at least 1 minute, or at least 3 minutes. After a long enough time, further exposure to the bake temperature may not sufficiently improve the polymer layer (e.g., a sufficient amount of polymerization or crosslinking occurs, the residual amount of volatile components is low enough so as not to cause problems during subsequent processing, etc.) or may begin to cause adverse effects, such as roughening the top surface of the baked planarization layer 2224 or delaminating the baked planarization layer 2224 from the workpiece 1300. The soak time can be up to 30 minutes, up to 20 minutes, up to 15 minutes, up to 2 minutes, or up to 1 minute. The soak time can be, for example, within the range of 0.25 minutes to 30 minutes, 1 minute to 20 minutes, or 2 minutes to 15 minutes, and can be any value between the minimum and maximum numbers listed above.

[0125] The bake operation can be performed using a gas. The gas can include a substance that is relatively inert to the cured planarization layer 1324 and the baked planarization layer 2224. The substance can include N, CO, a noble gas (such as Ar or He), or a mixture thereof. The gas can be free of oxidizing substances, such as O, O, or N2O, or can include 2 mol% or less or 0.5 mol% or less of oxidizing substances. The chamber lid 584 can be used to control the composition of the gas above the workpiece 1300 during the bake operation. The inventors have found that maintaining a narrow gap between the workpiece 1300 and the chamber lid 584 improves the rate at which the gas composition above the workpiece 1300 reaches a target composition.

[0126] As shown, the post-exposure bake unit 282 is configured to process one workpiece at a time. In another embodiment, the post-exposure bake unit 282 can be configured to process multiple workpieces during the same bake operation. The post-exposure bake unit 282 can include or accept a cassette or other suitable substrate container, which can hold multiple workpieces.

[0127] The memory 252, database, or another memory external to the post-exposure bake apparatus 103 can contain information regarding the composition of the polymer precursor used to form the cured planarization layer 1324, the desired bake temperature, the desired soak time to form the baked planarization layer 2224, or a combination thereof. Referring to FIG. 2, the controller 250 or local controller can send signals to the post-exposure bake unit 282 to flow an inert gas through the post-exposure bake unit 282 and control the heating means to maintain the workpiece 1300 at the desired bake temperature or within a tolerance of the bake temperature for the soak time. The tolerance can be + / - 10°C, + / - 5°C, or + / - 2°C of the bake temperature. Referring to FIG. 22, during heating, the controller 250 or local controller can receive temperature data from a temperature sensor (not shown) in the substrate chuck 284 or a proximate temperature sensor (not shown). The temperature sensor in the substrate chuck 284 can be positioned in a location that can contact or be in close proximity (e.g., within 1 mm) to the workpiece 1300 when the substrate is placed on the substrate chuck 284. The proximity temperature sensor can receive near-infrared radiation from the workpiece 1300 and can be used to determine the temperature of the substrate 1322 or the hardened planarization layer 1324.

[0128] The controller 250 or a local controller can send a signal for a heating means, such as a resistive heating element 2284 or a radiant heating element 2286, to heat the workpiece 1300 and the hardened planarizing layer 1324 to a bake temperature or to maintain the temperature in the post-exposure bake unit 282 at the bake temperature. After the soak, the controller 250 or a local controller can send a signal to deactivate the heating means.

[0129] The method may include lifting the chamber lid at block 1542 and extending the plurality of substrate support pins at block 1544 of FIG. 15 . Referring to FIGS. 2 and 23 , the controller 250 or local controller may send a signal to raise the chamber lid 584. Before the plurality of substrate support pins 476 are extended, the controller 250 or local controller may send a signal to a vacuum actuator or electrostatic or electromagnetic deactivation circuit of the substrate chuck 284, thereby allowing the plurality of substrate support pins 476 to lift the workpiece 1300. If applicable, the controller 250 or local controller may activate a backfill valve to allow gas to flow into the vacuum channel, vacuum zone, or both, so that the workpiece 1300 is no longer under the vacuum pressure used to hold the workpiece 1300. The controller 250 or local controller may send a signal that is received by the support pin actuator 478 to extend the plurality of substrate support pins 476 into the extended state. The chamber lid 584 can be lifted before or after the plurality of substrate support pins 476 are extended.

[0130] The method may further include transferring the workpiece to a cooling unit at block 1546 of FIG. 15. FIGS. 24 and 25 illustrate a transfer operation using the substrate positioning tool 414. Referring to FIG. 24, the controller 250 or a local controller may send a signal to move the body 434 along the rails 424 so that the arm 436 is positioned above the substrate chuck 284 and an end effector of the arm 436 is positioned below the workpiece 1300, and a signal to cause the arm 436 or a component (not shown) coupled to the arm 436 to hold the workpiece 1300. The end effector of the arm 436 may be located around, above, or between multiple substrate support pins 476. The substrate support pins 476 may be lowered so that the workpiece 1300 rests on the end effector of the arm 436. 25 , the controller 250 or a local controller may send a signal to move the body 434 along the rails 424 so that the workpiece 1300 moves along a transport path 2514, which may include a chamber exit path and a cooling unit entry path. The workpiece 1300 moves on the substrate chuck 288 of the cooling unit 286. The controller 250 or a local controller may send a signal to the arm 436 or a component (not shown) coupled to the arm 436 to release the workpiece 1300. Alternatively, the controller 250 may send a command to at least one of the substrate support pins 496 and the arm 436 to raise the workpiece 1300 above the arm 436. The end effector of the arm 436 may then be withdrawn from between the substrate support pins 496. The workpiece 1300 may contact the substrate chuck 288 within the cooling unit 286. The workpiece 1300 may be held in place by vacuum, electrostatic, or electromagnetic forces. The controller 250 or a local controller may send a signal to circuitry to activate the vacuum actuator or electrostatic or electromagnetic forces of the substrate chuck 288.

[0131] The method may include cooling the workpiece at block 1562 of FIG. 15 . In one embodiment, the cooling unit 286 may include a chill plate. Referring to FIG. 26 , the substrate chuck 288 may include a flow path 2688 through which a cooling fluid may flow. The substrate chuck 288 may or may not include a temperature sensor. The temperature of the workpiece 1300 may be sensed by a temperature sensor or an optical temperature sensor within the substrate chuck 288. The cooling means associated with the cooling unit 286 may be activated before or after the workpiece 1300 is placed on the substrate chuck 288. The controller 250 or a local controller may send signals to activate a pump to transport the cooling fluid through the flow path 2688, a valve to expand compressed gas within the cooling unit 286, and a fan or pump to inject or recirculate the cooling gas within the cooling unit 286. Cooling of the workpiece 1300 may be performed until the temperature of the workpiece 1300 is sensed to be at most the temperature setpoint, for a predetermined time, or before the temperature setpoint is reached, or until the expiration of the predetermined time. The temperature setpoint is low enough to prevent or reduce the likelihood of damage to the workpiece 1300 or substrate processing equipment, such as the robotic hand 418, or another portion of the substrate positioning tool coupled to the robotic hand 418, a substrate pod, or other equipment that may subsequently contact the workpiece 1300. In certain implementations, the temperature setpoint may be up to 50°C.

[0132] The cooling means may remain activated while processing the workpiece, or may be deactivated while processing the workpiece. If the cooling means is deactivated while processing the workpiece, controller 250 or a local controller may send a signal to deactivate a pump that pumps coolant through flow path 2688, a valve that expands compressed gas within cooling unit 286, or a fan or pump that injects or recirculates coolant gas within cooling unit 286.

[0133] The method may further include removing the workpiece from the cooling unit at block 1582 of FIG. 15 . The controller 250 or local controller may send a signal to a vacuum actuator or electrostatic or electromagnetic deactivation circuit of the substrate chuck 288, so that the workpiece 1300 may be lifted by the plurality of substrate support pins 496. If applicable, the controller 250 or local controller may activate a backfill valve to allow gas to enter the vacuum channel and / or vacuum zone so that the workpiece 1300 is no longer subjected to the vacuum pressure used to hold the workpiece 1300 in place. With reference to FIGS. 25 and 27 , the controller 250 or local controller may send a signal to extend the plurality of substrate support pins 496 to an extended state.

[0134] The workpiece 1300 may be removed from the cooling unit 286 along the cooling unit exit path 2718 using the robot hand 418 of the substrate positioning tool. The controller 250 or a local controller may send a signal to cause the robot hand 418 to extend into the cooling unit 286 and remove the workpiece 1300 from the plurality of substrate support pins 496. After the workpiece is removed from the cooling unit 286, the controller 250 or a local controller may send a signal to retract the plurality of substrate support pins 496 to a retracted state within the substrate chuck 288 so that the workpiece 1300 rests on the robot hand 418. The workpiece 1300 may then be moved to the substrate pod 271, 291, another substrate pod, elsewhere in the post-exposure bake section 270, or another suitable location within the system 100.

[0135] The method for fabricating an electronic device may include any of the methods described above. The workpiece 1300 may be further processed to form a substantially completed electronic device. Any one or more of the electronic devices may include electrical circuit elements, optical elements, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), recording elements, sensors, molds, integrated circuits, power transistors, charge-coupled devices (CCDs), image sensors, microfluidic devices, etc. The integrated circuits may be solid-state memory (such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), flash memory, magnetoresistive memory (MRAM)), microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units, digital signal processors, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.

[0136] Embodiments of the system, apparatus, and method can be useful for ensuring proper placement of a workpiece within a processing chamber or other apparatus. The method is well suited to processing chambers that have a harsh environment when processing the workpiece. The harsh environment may include high temperatures, toxic, corrosive, flammable, pyrophoric, or other hazardous gases. Ensuring proper placement of the workpiece within the processing chamber reduces the likelihood that the workpiece will be damaged or misprocessed within the processing chamber due to improper placement of the workpiece within the processing chamber or other apparatus.

[0137] The sensor housing-component pairs can be strategically positioned to avoid contact with the workpiece, the chamber lid, equipment used to move the workpiece in and out of the processing chamber, any other equipment, or a combination thereof during workpiece movement or processing. This method allows a user to select sensor housing-component pairs selected from the group consisting of: (1) a sensor housing including a sensor and a radiation emitter and a component including a radiation reflector that reflects radiation emitted by the radiation emitter; and (2) a sensor housing including a sensor, with or without a radiation emitter and a component including the radiation emitter. Any one or more of the sensor housing-component pairs can be positioned such that the radiation beam from the radiation emitter is partially blocked by the workpiece or passes along a location closest to the workpiece between the workpiece and the periphery of the processing zone. When the radiation beam is partially blocked, as few as two sensor housing-component pairs can be used. When the radiation beam passes between the workpiece and the periphery of the processing zone, as few as three sensor housing-component pairs can be used. More sensor housing-component pairs may be used as needed or desired for a particular application.

[0138] It should be noted that not all operations described in the general description or examples above are required, that some of the specific operations may not be required, and that at least one additional operation may be performed in addition to those described. Furthermore, the order in which the operations are listed is not necessarily the order in which they are performed.

[0139] In the foregoing description, benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described with respect to particular implementations. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any features that may give rise to or make more pronounced any benefit, advantage, or solution should not be construed as critical, required, or essential features of any or all of the claims.

[0140] The descriptions and illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended to provide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments. The specification and illustrations are not intended to be exhaustive or comprehensive descriptions of all of the elements and features of systems and apparatus that utilize the structures or methods described herein. Alternative embodiments may be provided in combination in a single embodiment, and conversely, for brevity, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be provided separately or in any subcombination. Furthermore, references to values ​​specified in ranges include each and every value within that range. Many other embodiments may become apparent to those skilled in the art only after reading this specification. Other embodiments may be used and derived from the present disclosure, and structural substitutions, logical substitutions, or other changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the present disclosure should be considered illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims

1. a chamber including a processing zone and supporting a workpiece along a substrate support surface; a first sensor that receives a first radiation beam passing through the treatment zone and generates a first signal in response to receiving the first radiation beam; wherein the first radiation beam propagates along a first line that forms a first acute angle with respect to the substrate support surface; the first sensor is located outside the processing zone; a controller that receives the first signal and determines first information regarding a position of the workpiece in the chamber in response to receiving the first signal; An apparatus comprising:

2. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first acute angle is in the range of 0° to 9.9°.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the workpiece comprises a substrate and a hardened planarizing layer.

4. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the chamber further comprises a plurality of substrate support pins having distal ends, the distal ends of at least three of the plurality of substrate support pins being located along the substrate support surface.

5. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the chamber further comprises a lid configured to be moved to a closed position after it is determined that the workpiece is entirely within the processing zone, and wherein the lid does not overlap the first sensor from a top view.

6. Further comprising a second sensor; the second sensor receives a second radiation beam passing through the treatment zone and generates a second signal in response to receiving the second radiation beam; the second radiation beam propagates along a second line that forms a second acute angle with the substrate support surface, and the second sensor is positioned outside the processing zone; the controller receives the second signal and determines second information regarding the position of the workpiece in response to receiving the second signal.

2. The device of claim 1 .

7. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the chamber further comprises a plurality of substrate support pins for moving the workpiece in at least an X or Y direction parallel to the substrate support surface.

8. When the first acute angle is α and the second acute angle is β, ０．０°≦｜（α－β）｜≦０．１° 7. The device according to claim 6, wherein:

9. When the first acute angle is α and the second acute angle is β, ０．１°＜｜（α－β）｜≦９．９° 7. The device according to claim 6, wherein:

10. Further comprising a third sensor; the third sensor receives a third radiation beam passing along the substrate support surface through the processing zone and generates a third signal in response to receiving the third radiation beam; the third radiation beam propagates along a third line that forms a third acute angle with respect to the substrate support surface; the third sensor is located outside the processing zone; the controller receives the third signal and determines third information regarding the position of the workpiece in response to receiving the third signal.

7. The device according to claim 6.

11. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first radiation beam, the second radiation beam, and the third radiation beam do not interfere with each other.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing zone includes a bake zone for heating the workpiece.

13. The treatment zone contains up to 2 mol % O ２ 10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a bake zone for heating the workpiece in an atmosphere having

14. a post-exposure bake unit for baking the hardened planarization layer; a cooling unit for cooling the workpiece; and The post-exposure bake unit and the cooling unit are separate units.

14. The device of claim 13.

15. The treatment zone comprises: a deposition zone for depositing a first material onto the workpiece; or an etching zone for etching a second material in the workpiece; or configured to deposit a third material on the workpiece during a first time point and etch a portion of the third material during a second time point; 2. The device of claim 1 .

16. a component radiatively coupled to the first sensor; the component comprises a radiation reflector or a radiation emitter; The device comprises: (1) the first sensor is at a first height above the level of the substrate support surface and the component is at a second height below the level of the substrate support surface; or (2) the first sensor is configured to be at a third height below the height of the substrate support surface, and the component is configured to be at a fourth height above the substrate support surface; 2. The device of claim 1 .

17. a chamber including a processing zone and supporting a workpiece along a substrate support surface; a first substrate positioning tool for moving the workpiece into the processing zone along a chamber entry path along a first line; a second substrate positioning tool for moving the workpiece from the processing zone along a chamber exit path along a second line that intersects the first line in a top view; a first sensor that receives a first radiation beam passing along the substrate support surface through the processing zone and generates a first signal in response to receiving the first radiation beam; and the first sensor is positioned outside the processing zone, and the first sensor does not contact the workpiece, the first substrate positioning tool, or the second substrate positioning tool when the workpiece is moved along each of the chamber entry path and the chamber exit path; An apparatus characterized in that

18. the chamber further includes a plurality of substrate support pins having distal ends; the apparatus further comprising a support pin actuator that reversibly moves the plurality of substrate support pins between a retracted state and an extended state; In the extended state, distal ends of three of the plurality of substrate support pins lie along the substrate support surface.

18. The device of claim 17.

19. a cooling unit and a third substrate positioning tool; The processing zone is a high temperature zone, the first substrate positioning tool is configured to load the workpiece into the high temperature zone along the chamber entry path; the second substrate positioning tool is configured to remove the workpiece from the high temperature zone along the chamber exit path and load the workpiece into the cooling unit along a cooling unit entry path; the third substrate positioning tool is configured to remove the workpiece from the cooling unit along a cooling unit exit path.

18. The device of claim 17.

20. 1. A method of manufacturing an electronic device, comprising: loading the workpiece onto support pins having distal ends, wherein the distal ends of at least three support pins are positioned along the substrate support surface, and the support pins are within a processing zone of the chamber; receiving a first radiation beam at a first sensor, wherein: the first radiation beam propagates along a line that forms a first acute angle with respect to the substrate support surface; the first sensor is located outside the processing zone; generating, by the first sensor, a first signal in response to receiving the first radiation beam; receiving the first signal at a controller; determining, by the controller, first information regarding a position of the workpiece in response to receiving the first signal; A method comprising:

21. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the workpiece includes a substrate and a hardened planarizing layer, the substrate being positioned between the support pins and the hardened planarizing layer while loading the workpiece onto the support pins.

22. 22. The method of claim 21, further comprising baking the hardened planarization layer in the processing zone to form a baked planarization layer, wherein baking the hardened planarization layer is performed after determining the first information.

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