Substrate processing equipment

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus is provided that can optimize the measurement process. [Solution] The substrate processing apparatus comprises a load / unload section in which a plurality of load ports are arranged side by side adjacent to the front outer wall of the housing, and an upper measuring module and a lower measuring module for measuring the surface condition of a substrate, which are connected to the front outer wall and arranged vertically adjacent to the side outer wall of the housing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] In the manufacture of semiconductor devices, many types of materials are repeatedly formed in a film shape on a wafer to form a stacked structure. In order to form such a stacked structure, a technique for flattening the surface of the wafer has become important. As a means for flattening the surface of such a wafer, a polishing apparatus that performs chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is used.

[0003] The polishing apparatus generally includes a polishing table to which a polishing pad is attached, a polishing head that presses a wafer against the polishing pad on the polishing table, and a nozzle that supplies a polishing liquid onto the polishing pad. While supplying the polishing liquid from the nozzle onto the polishing pad, the wafer is pressed against the polishing pad by the polishing head, and the wafer is polished by relatively moving the polishing head and the polishing pad.

[0004] The substrate processing apparatus is an apparatus having a polishing module that performs chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) as described above, a cleaning module that cleans the polished wafer, and a drying module that dries the cleaned wafer. The wafer polished by the polishing module is transported to the cleaning module and the drying module by a transfer robot, and is cleaned and dried by the cleaning module and the drying module.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In recent years, with the increasing productivity of substrate processing equipment, optimization of each process (i.e., improving wafer productivity without unnecessarily increasing the footprint size of the substrate processing equipment) has been pursued. In particular, optimization of the measurement process using measuring instruments to measure wafer film thickness and cleanliness is required.

[0007] While it is desirable to deploy multiple measuring instruments to improve wafer productivity, even in this case, it is necessary to improve wafer productivity without unnecessarily increasing the footprint size of the substrate processing equipment.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a substrate processing apparatus that can optimize the measurement process. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In one embodiment, a substrate processing apparatus is provided. The substrate processing apparatus comprises a polishing module for polishing a substrate, a cleaning module for cleaning the substrate, a drying module for drying the cleaned substrate, a plurality of load ports on which a transport container for storing the substrate is placed, at least one transport robot located in a housing for transporting substrates to the polishing module before polishing and transporting substrates dried in the drying module to the transport container, a load / unload section adjacent to the front outer wall of the housing where the plurality of load ports are arranged side by side, and an upper measuring module and a lower measuring module for measuring the surface condition of the substrate, arranged vertically adjacent to the side outer wall of the housing and connected to the front outer wall.

[0010] In one embodiment, at least one of the upper measuring module and the lower measuring module is equipped with a measuring unit for measuring the surface condition of the substrate before polishing and / or the surface condition of the substrate after polishing. In one embodiment, if one of the upper measuring module and the lower measuring module is equipped with the measuring unit, the other of the upper measuring module and the lower measuring module is equipped with at least a control unit that controls the operation of the measuring unit and acquires the data measured by the measuring unit. In one embodiment, when the upper measuring module comprises the measuring unit and the control unit, the measuring unit in the upper measuring module is located below the control unit, and when the lower measuring module comprises the measuring unit and the control unit, the measuring unit in the lower measuring module is located above the control unit.

[0011] In one embodiment, when the upper measuring module and the lower measuring module each have the measuring unit, the measuring unit in the upper measuring module and the measuring unit in the lower measuring module are arranged adjacent to each other. In one embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate transport position for transporting substrates in the transport container to the polishing module, a substrate receiving position for receiving substrates dried in the drying module, and a horizontal movement mechanism and a vertical movement mechanism for moving the transport robot between the upper measuring module and the lower measuring module. In one embodiment, the horizontal movement mechanism has a length corresponding to the distance of the area in which the plurality of load ports are arranged, and the vertical movement mechanism has a length corresponding to the distance between the plurality of load ports and the substrate transport position and the substrate receiving position.

[0012] In one embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus includes a housing frame for housing the lower measuring module, and the housing frame is adjacent to the housing, with a gap between it and the housing. In one embodiment, the upper measuring module is mounted on the housing frame. In one aspect, each of the upper measurement module and the lower measurement module is adjacent to the housing via an elastic seal disposed therebetween and the housing.

Advantages of the Invention

[0013] The substrate processing apparatus includes an upper measurement module and a lower measurement module arranged vertically side by side. With such an arrangement, the substrate processing apparatus can improve the productivity of the substrate without increasing the size of its footprint more than necessary.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] [Figure 1] It is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 2] It is a side view of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a plan view of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing one embodiment of a measurement unit. [Figure 5] It includes a housing frame for housing the lower measurement module. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing a housing frame disposed with a gap formed therebetween and the housing. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing an elastic seal disposed between the measurement unit and the housing. [Figure 8] FIGS. 8(a) to 8(f) are diagrams showing an example of the arrangement of the control unit and / or the measurement unit in each of the upper measurement module and the lower measurement module. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses each including a measurement unit (that is, an upper measurement module and a lower measurement module) mounted horizontally on a housing. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses each including measurement modules arranged on both sides of a housing. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing another embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 12] It is a diagram showing another embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 13] It is a diagram showing an example of the processing flow of a substrate in the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. [Figure 14] It is a diagram showing an example of the processing flow of a substrate in the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. [Figure 15] It is a diagram showing an example of the processing flow of a substrate in the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. [Figure 16] It is a diagram showing an example of the processing flow of a substrate in the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. [Figure 17] It is a diagram showing an example of the processing flow of a substrate in the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings described below, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions are omitted. In the following plurality of embodiments, the configuration of one embodiment not particularly described is the same as that of other embodiments, so the duplicate descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a side view of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. The substrate processing apparatus includes a first processing unit 101 and a second processing unit 102 for processing a substrate W.

[0017] The processing of the substrate W includes polishing, cleaning, and drying of the substrate W. The first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102 are arranged side by side. Specific examples of the substrate W include wafers used in semiconductor devices, circular substrates, rectangular substrates, and panels. In the embodiment described below, a circular wafer is used as the substrate W.

[0018] Since the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102 have the same components, the first processing unit 101 will be described below. The following description can also be applied to the second processing unit 102.

[0019] The first processing unit 101 includes a plurality of polishing modules 1A, 1B for polishing the substrate W, a plurality of cleaning modules 7, 8, 9, 10 for cleaning the substrate W, a drying module 11 for drying the cleaned substrate W, a substrate transport device 14 extending from one side to the other of the first processing unit 101, and a lifting transport device 5 for transporting the substrate W from the substrate transport device 14 to each polishing module 1A, 1B, and from each polishing module 1A, 1B to the plurality of cleaning modules 7, 8, 9. The lifting transport device 5 is configured to transport the substrate W between the cleaning modules 7, 8, 9, 10.

[0020] The first processing unit 101 further includes a relay transport device 6 configured to transport substrates W from the washing module 10 to the drying module 11, and from the drying module 11 to the substrate transport device 14. The relay transport device 6 of the first processing unit 101 is configured to transport substrates W between the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102. The substrate processing apparatus includes an operation control unit 15 that controls the operation of the above-mentioned components of the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102.

[0021] As shown in Figure 3, the polishing modules 1A, 1B, the lifting and conveying device 5, the relay conveying device 6, the washing modules 7, 8, 9, 10, and the drying module 11 are surrounded by walls (enclosures) 16, and the cleanliness is controlled so that the atmosphere inside the walls 16 does not diffuse to other areas.

[0022] The substrate W is transported through an opening (equipped with a shutter) provided in the wall (housing) 16. In particular, the polishing modules 1A and 1B and the cleaning modules 7, 8, 9, and 10 are separated by a lifting transport area 17 which has a lifting transport device 5 inside. The lifting transport area 17 is formed by the wall (housing) 16. Details of the wall (housing) 16 are omitted in Figures 1 and 2.

[0023] Each of the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102 is a unitized assembly. In one embodiment, the second processing unit 102 is detachably connected to the first processing unit 101, and the entire second processing unit 102 can be separated from the first processing unit 101.

[0024] Furthermore, it is possible to connect one or more additional processing units with a similar configuration to the second processing unit 102. In other words, it is possible to connect three or more processing units, including the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102, in series.

[0025] The operation of multiple processing units, including the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102, is controlled by an operation control unit 15. The operation control unit 15 includes a storage device 15a in which a program is stored, and an arithmetic unit 15b that performs calculations according to the instructions contained in the program.

[0026] The operation control unit 15 consists of at least one computer. The storage device 15a includes main memory such as random access memory (RAM) and auxiliary storage such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD). Examples of the arithmetic unit 15b include a CPU (central processing unit) and a GPU (graphics processing unit). However, the specific configuration of the operation control unit 15 is not limited to these examples.

[0027] In the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 3, the first processing unit 101 comprises two polishing modules 1A and 1B arranged in parallel at the same height. In one embodiment, each of the processing units 101 and 102 may comprise a single polishing module, and in other embodiments, each of the processing units 101 and 102 may comprise three or more polishing modules. The substrate transport device 14 is positioned higher than the polishing modules 1A and 1B, the washing modules 7, 8, 9, and 10, and the drying module 11. In this embodiment, the substrate transport device 14 is positioned above the washing modules 7, 8, 9, and 10 and the drying module 11.

[0028] The lifting and transferring device 5 is equipped with a holding hand 40 that can access the substrate transfer device 14, polishing modules 1A, 1B, and cleaning modules 7, 8, 9, and 10. The holding hand 40 is movable up and down as indicated by the arrows in Figure 1. The relay transferring device 6 of the first processing unit 101 is equipped with a holding hand 60 that can access the polishing module 1B, cleaning module 10, drying module 11, and substrate transfer device 14 of the first processing unit 101, and the substrate transfer device 14, polishing module 1C, and cleaning modules 7 and 8 of the second processing unit 102. The holding hand 60 is movable up and down as indicated by the arrows in Figure 1.

[0029] The substrate W to be polished is transported by the substrate transport device 14 of the first processing unit 101 with its surface to be polished facing upwards. The lifting transport device 5 of the first processing unit 101 rises up to the substrate transport device 14 and removes the substrate W from the substrate transport device 14.

[0030] Furthermore, the lifting and transporting device 5 inverts the substrate W so that the surface to be polished faces downwards, and then passes it to either polishing module 1A or 1B. The substrate W is polished by either or both of polishing module 1A and polishing module 1B. The transport of the substrate W between polishing modules 1A and 1B is performed by the lifting and transporting device 5.

[0031] Since the two polishing modules 1A and 1B have the same components, polishing module 1A will be described below. Although a detailed explanation will be omitted, polishing modules 1C and 1D of the second processing unit 102 also have the same components.

[0032] The polishing module 1A includes a polishing table 21 that supports the polishing pad 20, a table motor 22 that rotates the polishing table 21, a polishing liquid supply nozzle 24 that supplies polishing liquid onto the polishing pad 20, two polishing heads 25, 25 that press the substrate W against the polishing pad 20 to polish the substrate W, and a polishing head motor (not shown) that rotates the polishing heads 25, 25 around their axes.

[0033] The two polishing heads 25, 25 are rotatably supported on a head arm 28, and the polishing head motor is located within the head arm 28. The central part of the head arm 28 is supported by a support shaft 29.

[0034] The polishing module 1A further includes a substrate loader 33 that receives the substrate W from the lifting and transporting device 5 and passes the substrate W to one of the two polishing heads 25, 25. The substrate loader 33 is located outside the polishing table 21. The lifting and transporting device 5 is configured to invert the substrate W so that the surface to be polished faces downward, and passes the substrate W to the substrate loader 33 with the surface to be polished facing downward.

[0035] The polishing module 1A further includes an arm swivel motor (not shown) that rotates the head arm 28 and two polishing heads 25, 25 around a support shaft 29. This arm swivel motor is installed on either the head arm 28 or the support shaft 29. When the head arm 28 is rotated by the arm swivel motor by 180 degrees, one of the two polishing heads 25, 25 is moved to a position above the polishing pad 20, and the other polishing head 25 is moved to a position above the substrate loader 33.

[0036] The substrate loader 33 is configured to lift the substrate W and pass it to the polishing head 25 located outside the polishing table 21. The polishing heads 25, 25 are configured to hold the substrate W on their underside by vacuum suction. In one embodiment, one or both of the polishing modules 1A, 1B may have a single polishing head 25.

[0037] Polishing of the substrate W is performed as follows: When the substrate W to be polished is held by the polishing head 25, the head arm 28 rotates 180 degrees, and the polishing head 25 moves together with the substrate W to a position above the polishing pad 20. The polishing table 21 and the polishing pad 20 are rotated by the table motor 22, and polishing fluid (typically slurry) is supplied onto the polishing pad 20 from the polishing fluid supply nozzle 24.

[0038] The polishing head 25 is rotated by a polishing head motor (not shown) located within the head arm 28, while pressing the lower surface (surface to be polished) of the substrate W against the polishing pad 20. The lower surface of the substrate W is polished by a combination of the chemical action of the polishing liquid and the mechanical action of the abrasive grains contained in the polishing liquid and / or the polishing pad 20. The polishing modules 1A and 1B of this embodiment are chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) devices that chemically and mechanically polish the substrate W.

[0039] When polishing of the substrate W is complete, the head arm 28 rotates 180 degrees, and the polishing head 25 moves to an upper position on the substrate loader 33 along with the polished substrate W. The polishing head 25 releases the substrate W, and the substrate W is placed on the substrate loader 33. The holding hand 40 of the lifting and transporting device 5 removes the substrate W from the substrate loader 33 and loads the substrate W into one of the multiple cleaning modules 7 to 10.

[0040] In this embodiment, since the polishing module 1A has two polishing heads 25, 25, while one polishing head 25 is positioned above the polishing pad 20 or polishing the substrate W, the other polishing head 25 can release the substrate W and hold the substrate to be polished next.

[0041] The multiple cleaning modules 7, 8, 9, and 10 of this embodiment include a cleaning module 7 used as a pre-cleaning module or a post-cleaning module, and a plurality of (three in Figure 1) cleaning modules 8, 9, and 10 used as post-cleaning modules. The pre-cleaning module is a cleaning device for cleaning the substrate W before it is polished by the polishing modules 1A and 1B, and the post-cleaning module is a cleaning device for cleaning the substrate W after it has been polished by the polishing modules 1A and 1B.

[0042] Washing modules 7 and 8 are arranged along the longitudinal direction, as are washing modules 9, 10, and drying module 11. The group of washing modules 7 and 8 is positioned separately from the group of washing modules 9, 10, and drying module 11. Washing module 7 is positioned above washing module 8. Drying module 11 is positioned above washing module 10, and washing module 10 is positioned above washing module 9.

[0043] The types of the four cleaning modules 7, 8, 9, and 10 are not particularly limited. For example, cleaning module 7 is a buff cleaning device or a sponge scrub cleaning device, cleaning modules 8 and 9 are sponge scrub cleaning devices, and cleaning module 10 is a two-fluid jet cleaning device.

[0044] The cleaning mechanisms of cleaning modules 7, 8, 9, and 10 can use known configurations. The type of drying module 11 is also not particularly limited. For example, the drying module 11 may be an IPA drying apparatus that dries the substrate W by blowing isopropyl alcohol vapor onto the substrate W, or it may be a spin drying apparatus that removes liquid from the substrate W by rotating the substrate W at high speed.

[0045] The operation of the lifting and transporting device 5 is configured to switch between a pre-cleaning mode, in which the substrate W is transported to the cleaning module 7 before being transported to the polishing module 1A or 1B, and a post-cleaning mode, in which the substrate W is transported to the cleaning module 7 after being removed from the polishing module 1A or 1B.

[0046] In pre-cleaning mode, the cleaning module 7 operates as a pre-cleaning module. That is, the operation control unit 15 commands the lifting and transporting device 5 to transport the substrate W from the substrate transporting device 14 to the cleaning module 7 before transporting the substrate W to the polishing module 1A or 1B. As a pre-cleaning module, the cleaning module 7 cleans the substrate W before polishing.

[0047] In post-cleaning mode, the cleaning module 7 operates as a post-cleaning module. That is, the operation control unit 15 commands the lifting and transporting device 5 to transport the polished substrate W from the polishing module 1A or 1B to the cleaning module 7. The cleaning module 7, acting as a post-cleaning module, cleans the polished substrate W.

[0048] In pre-cleaning mode, the polished substrate W is transported in the order of cleaning module 8, cleaning module 9, and cleaning module 10, and is cleaned by these cleaning modules 8, 9, and 10. In post-cleaning mode, the polished substrate W is transported in the order of cleaning module 7, cleaning module 8, cleaning module 9, and cleaning module 10, and is cleaned by these cleaning modules 7, 8, 9, and 10.

[0049] In this embodiment, the lifting and conveying device 5 is configured to have access to the washing modules 7, 8, 9, and 10, and the relay conveying device 6 is configured to have access to the washing module 10 and the drying module 11. Therefore, the lifting and conveying device 5 conveys polished substrates W with a low degree of cleanliness (i.e., with polishing liquid and polishing debris attached), and the relay conveying device 6 conveys washed substrates W with a high degree of cleanliness. Furthermore, by using two conveying devices, namely the lifting and conveying device 5 and the relay conveying device 6, it is possible to prevent substrate conveyance from becoming the rate-limiting factor and to process multiple substrates continuously.

[0050] In one embodiment, the lifting and lowering conveying device 5 has two holding hands 40 arranged vertically and operating independently of each other, and the relay conveying device 6 has two holding hands 60 arranged vertically and operating independently of each other.

[0051] For example, the lower holding hand 40 can transport wet substrates, and the upper holding hand 40 can transport dry substrates. Similarly, the lower holding hand 60 can transport wet substrates, and the upper holding hand 60 can transport dry substrates.

[0052] In one embodiment, the lifting and transporting device 5 may be configured to have access to all of the washing modules 7, 8, 9, 10 and the drying module 11. In this case, the loading and unloading of the substrate W into and from the washing modules 7, 8, 9, 10 and the drying module 11 is performed by the lifting and transporting device 5.

[0053] The substrate transport device 14 includes a substrate stage 71 that supports the substrate W and a stage moving mechanism 72 that moves the substrate stage 71 horizontally. The substrate stage 71 is connected to the stage moving mechanism 72. The stage moving mechanism 72 extends horizontally from one side to the other of the first processing unit 101.

[0054] More specifically, the stage moving mechanism 72 extends in the width direction of the first processing unit 101 and is positioned above the washing modules 7, 8, 9, 10 and the drying module 11. The substrate transport device 14 in this embodiment is a linear transporter that moves the substrate W in a straight line.

[0055] The stage movement mechanism 72 is configured to stop the substrate stage 71 at a first position P1, a second position P2, and a third position P3. The first position P1 is located on one side of the first processing unit 101, and the second position P2 is located on the opposite side of the first processing unit 101. The third position P3 is located between the first position P1 and the second position P2.

[0056] More specifically, the first position P1 is above the washing modules 7 and 8, and the second position P2 is above the washing modules 9 and 10 and the drying module 11. The third position P3 is located between the group of washing modules 7 and 8 and the group of washing modules 9 and 10 and the drying module 11.

[0057] The substrate processing apparatus includes a load / unload section 50 adjacent to the first processing unit 101. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the load / unload section 50 further includes a cassette loader (in other words, a load port) 53 on which a cassette storage (i.e., a transport container) 100 containing multiple substrates W is placed, and a transport robot 55 that takes one substrate W to be polished from the cassette storage 100 and passes it to the substrate transport device 14.

[0058] The transport robot 55 is located within a housing PL composed of multiple outer walls (see Figure 3) and is positioned between the cassette loader 53 and the substrate transport device 14. In this embodiment, one transport robot 55 is provided, but the number of transport robots 55 is not limited to this embodiment. In one embodiment, two or more transport robots 55 may be provided.

[0059] In this embodiment, multiple (more specifically, four) cassette loaders 53 are arranged. These multiple cassette loaders 53 are arranged side by side adjacent to the first outer wall (in other words, the front outer wall) PL1 of the housing PL.

[0060] The substrate processing apparatus further includes a horizontal movement mechanism 56 and a vertical movement mechanism 57 for moving the transport robot 55 horizontally and vertically. The vertical movement mechanism 57 is configured to raise and lower the transport robot 55 between the cassette storage 100 and the substrate transport device 14. That is, the transport robot 55 takes one substrate W to be polished from the cassette storage 100, rises to the substrate transport device 14 using the vertical movement mechanism 57, and places the substrate W on the substrate stage 71 of the substrate transport device 14 of the first processing unit 101.

[0061] Furthermore, the substrate W processed (polished, washed, and dried) by at least one of the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102 is removed from the substrate stage 71 of the substrate transport device 14 of the first processing unit 101 by the transport robot 55. The transport robot 55, along with the processed substrate W, is lowered by the vertical movement mechanism 57 and returns the processed substrate W to the cassette storage 100.

[0062] The polishing heads 25, 25 are suspended from a frame (not shown). More specifically, a support shaft 29 extends downward from the frame (not shown), and a head arm 28 is rotatably supported below the support shaft 29. An arm swivel motor (not shown) is installed on the head arm 28 or the support shaft 29 to rotate the head arm 28 and the two polishing heads 25, 25 around the support shaft 29. Polishing module 1B has a similar configuration.

[0063] The substrate processing apparatus includes a measuring unit 200 (see Figures 1 and 3) for measuring the surface condition of the substrate W before polishing begins and / or after polishing is completed (e.g., the film thickness formed on the surface of the substrate W, the cleanliness of the surface of the substrate W).

[0064] Figure 4 shows one embodiment of the measurement unit. As shown in Figure 4, the measurement unit 200 has an upper measurement module ML and a lower measurement module ML, which have basically the same configuration. Each of the upper measurement module ML and the lower measurement module ML is configured to measure the surface state of the substrate W.

[0065] The upper and lower measuring modules ML are arranged vertically side by side adjacent to the second outer wall (in other words, the side outer wall) PL2, which is connected to the first outer wall PL1 of the housing PL. The first outer wall PL1 and the second outer wall PL2 extend perpendicularly to each other when the housing PL is viewed from above. The multiple cassette storage units 100 (or cassette loaders 53) arranged adjacent to the first outer wall PL1 and the multiple measuring modules ML arranged adjacent to the second outer wall PL2 are arranged orthogonally to each other.

[0066] As shown in Figure 4, the transport robot 55 is configured to move vertically and horizontally by a horizontal movement mechanism 56 and a vertical movement mechanism 57. More specifically, the transport robot 55 is configured to move between a substrate transport position 201 for transporting substrates W in the cassette storage 100 to polishing modules 1A to 1D, a substrate receiving position 202 for receiving substrates W dried in the drying module 11, and a measuring unit 200 by operating the horizontal movement mechanism 56 and the vertical movement mechanism 57.

[0067] The horizontal movement mechanism 56 has a length corresponding to the distance of the area where multiple cassette storage units 100 (or multiple cassette loaders 53) are arranged side by side. This distance corresponds to the distance between the two cassette storage units 100 located at the very ends of the multiple cassette storage units 100. The horizontal movement mechanism 56 can access all of the multiple cassette storage units 100.

[0068] The vertical movement mechanism 57 has a length corresponding to the distance between the cassette storage 100 and the board transport position 201 and the board receiving position 202, and is accessible to the cassette storage 100 and the board transport position 201 and the board receiving position 202.

[0069] The substrate transport position 201 and the substrate receiving position 202 are located at the top of the housing PL (i.e., above the cassette storage 100) and are adjacent to each other. These substrate transport positions 201 and substrate receiving positions 202 are accessible by the substrate transport device 14, and the transport robot 55 can transfer the substrate W to and from the substrate transport device 14 through the substrate transport positions 201 and substrate receiving positions 202.

[0070] In this embodiment, by positioning the measuring unit 200 to the side of the load / unload section 50, the transport robot 55 can quickly transport the substrate W to the measuring unit 200 before polishing begins and / or after polishing is completed.

[0071] The measuring unit 200 is located in the area to the side of the load / unload section 50, but not in the area to the side of the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102 (see Figure 3). This arrangement allows the operator to perform maintenance on the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102 without being obstructed by the measuring unit 200.

[0072] To prevent contamination of the substrate W, it is desirable to minimize the transport time of the substrate W. In this embodiment, the transport robot 55 can quickly access the cassette storage 100 and the measurement unit 200, which are located close to each other. Furthermore, by arranging the substrate transport position 201 and the substrate receiving position 202 adjacent to the measurement unit 200 and the cassette storage 100, the transport robot 55 can quickly receive the substrate W.

[0073] In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the upper measurement module ML and the lower measurement module ML each include a measurement unit D2 that measures the surface state of the substrate W before polishing and / or the surface state of the substrate W after polishing, and a control unit D1 that controls the operation of the measurement unit D2 and acquires the data measured by the measurement unit D2 (measurement data).

[0074] Measurement unit D2 is a standalone measuring device that measures the surface condition of the substrate W while the substrate W is stationary. Measurement unit D2 is, for example, a film thickness measuring instrument (e.g., ITM (In-line Thickness Monitor)) that measures the film thickness profile of the substrate W, or a measuring instrument (particle analyzer, particle counter) that measures the number of particles on the surface of the substrate W.

[0075] The control unit D1 is electrically connected to the measurement unit D2. Therefore, the control unit D1 may create a profile of the surface state of the substrate W based on the data measured by the measurement unit D2.

[0076] The control unit D1 is also electrically connected to the operation control unit 15 (see Figure 1). Therefore, the control unit D1 sends the data measured by the measurement unit D2 to the operation control unit 15, and the operation control unit 15 can control the operation of the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102 based on the data sent from the control unit D1.

[0077] Each of the upper and lower measuring modules ML has an upper housing space UC and a lower housing space LC. In the lower measuring module ML, the lower housing space LC houses the control unit D1, and the upper housing space UC houses the measurement unit D2. In the upper measuring module ML, the lower housing space LC houses the measurement unit D2, and the upper housing space UC houses the control unit D1.

[0078] In the upper measurement module ML, the measurement unit D2 is located below the control unit D1. In the lower measurement module ML, the measurement unit D2 is located above the control unit D1. With this arrangement, the measurement unit D2 in the upper measurement module ML and the measurement unit D2 in the lower measurement module ML are located adjacent to each other.

[0079] Therefore, there is almost no difference between the time it takes for the transport robot 55 to access the measurement section D2 of the upper measurement module ML and the time it takes for the transport robot 55 to access the measurement section D2 of the lower measurement module ML. As a result, the difference in transport time between multiple substrates W being transported can be reduced.

[0080] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the measurement unit D2 of the upper measurement module ML and the measurement unit D2 of the lower measurement module ML are located in the region between the cassette storage 100 and the substrate transport position 201 and the substrate receiving position 202. Therefore, the transport robot 55 can quickly access the measurement unit D2, the cassette storage 100, and the substrate transport position 201 and the substrate receiving position 202. As a result, the transport time of the substrate W can be reduced to an almost negligible extent.

[0081] Figure 5 shows the housing frame for the lower measurement module. The upper measurement module ML is positioned above the lower measurement module ML. The substrate processing apparatus includes a housing frame 301 for housing the lower measurement module ML. The housing frame 301 is installed on a low-vibration floor FL on which the substrate processing apparatus is mounted. The upper measurement module ML is placed on the housing frame 301.

[0082] Figure 6 shows a housing frame positioned with a gap between it and the housing. As shown in Figure 6, the housing frame 301 is adjacent to the housing PL, forming a gap G between it and the housing PL. Therefore, a gap G is formed between the measuring unit 200 and the housing PL.

[0083] The measuring unit 200 (especially the measuring section D2) is a precision instrument, and in order to measure the surface condition of the substrate W with greater accuracy, it is desirable to measure the substrate W while it is stationary. In this embodiment, by forming a gap G, the measuring section D2 of the measuring unit 200 can measure the surface condition of the substrate W without being affected by vibrations caused by the equipment inside the housing PL.

[0084] Figure 7 shows an elastic seal placed between the measurement unit and the housing. As shown in Figure 7, the measurement unit 200 (more specifically, the upper measurement module ML and the lower measurement module ML) is adjacent to the housing PL via an elastic seal SL placed between it and the housing PL. With this configuration, the measurement section D2 of the measurement unit 200 can measure the surface condition of the substrate W without being affected by vibrations caused by equipment inside the housing PL.

[0085] Figures 8(a) to 8(f) show examples of the arrangement of the control unit and / or measurement unit in the upper and lower measurement modules, respectively. In the embodiments described above, the upper measurement module ML and the lower measurement module ML each include a control unit D1 and a measurement unit D2, but in one embodiment, the upper measurement module ML and the lower measurement module ML do not need to include both a control unit D1 and a measurement unit D2.

[0086] In the embodiments shown in Figures 8(a) to 8(f), at least one of the upper measuring module ML and the lower measuring module ML is equipped with a measuring unit D2. If one of the upper measuring module ML and the lower measuring module ML is equipped with a measuring unit D2, the other of the upper measuring module ML and the lower measuring module ML is equipped with at least a control unit D1.

[0087] In the embodiments shown in Figures 8(a) to 8(f), multiple measuring units D2 are arranged adjacent to each other. In the embodiment shown in Figure 8(a), the lower housing space LC of the upper measuring module ML houses the measuring units D2, while the upper housing space UC houses nothing. The lower housing space LC of the lower measuring module ML houses the control unit D1, while the upper housing space UC houses the measuring units D2.

[0088] In the embodiment shown in Figure 8(a), one control unit D1 is electrically connected to two measuring units D2 and is configured to control the operation of the two measuring units D2 and to acquire measurement data. Thus, the measurement unit 200 does not need to have a number of control units D1 corresponding to the number of measuring units D2.

[0089] In the embodiment shown in Figure 8(b), unlike the embodiment shown in Figure 8(a), the upper housing space UC of the upper measurement module ML houses the measurement unit D2, while the upper housing space UC of the lower measurement module ML is empty. With this arrangement, the two measurement units D2 are positioned closer to the substrate transport position 201 and the substrate receiving position 202. Therefore, the transport robot 55 can more efficiently transfer the substrate W between the two measurement units D2 and the substrate transport device 14.

[0090] In the embodiment shown in Figure 8(c), the upper housing space UC of the upper measurement module ML houses the control unit D1, and the lower housing space LC houses the measurement unit D2. The upper housing space UC of the lower measurement module ML houses the measurement unit D2, and the lower housing space LC houses nothing. With this arrangement, similar to the effects in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 7, the difference in transport time between multiple transported substrates W can be reduced.

[0091] In the embodiment shown in Figure 8(d), the upper housing space UC of the upper measurement module ML houses the control unit D1, while the lower housing space LC houses nothing. The upper housing space UC and lower housing space LC of the lower measurement module ML each house a measurement unit D2. With this arrangement, multiple measurement units D2 can be positioned at the center of gravity of the housing frame 301, and as a result, the measurement units D2 can measure the surface condition of the substrate W while minimizing the influence of vibrations acting on them.

[0092] In the embodiment shown in Figure 8(e), the upper housing space UC and lower housing space LC of the upper measuring module ML each house the measuring unit D2. The upper housing space UC of the lower measuring module ML houses the control unit D1, and the lower housing space LC houses nothing. This arrangement can achieve the same effects as in the embodiment shown in Figure 8(b).

[0093] In the embodiment shown in Figure 8(f), the upper housing space UC of the upper measuring module ML is empty, while the lower housing space LC houses the control unit D1. The upper housing space UC and lower housing space LC of the lower measuring module ML each house the measuring unit D2. This arrangement provides the same effects as the embodiment shown in Figure 8(d).

[0094] In the embodiments shown in Figures 8(a) to 8(f), one control unit D1 is provided, and the upper measurement module ML and / or lower measurement module ML have empty (unoccupied) storage spaces. However, a new control unit D1 or measurement unit D2 may be accommodated in the empty storage space. By accommodating a new measurement unit D2 in the empty storage space, the substrate processing apparatus can further improve the productivity of the substrate W.

[0095] According to this embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus comprises an upper measuring module ML and a lower measuring module ML arranged vertically side by side. This arrangement allows the substrate processing apparatus to improve the productivity of the substrate W without unnecessarily increasing its footprint. In other words, the substrate processing apparatus can optimize the measurement process of the substrate W.

[0096] Generally, to improve the productivity of substrates W, a buffer device (not shown) for storing cassette storage 100 may be installed adjacent to the cassette loader 53 of the substrate processing apparatus. In this embodiment, the measurement unit 200 is located to the side of the load / unload section 50. Therefore, the buffer device can be installed adjacent to the cassette loader 53 without being obstructed by the measurement unit 200.

[0097] Figure 9 shows a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses equipped with measurement units (i.e., upper and lower measurement modules) mounted horizontally on a housing. Figure 10 shows a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses equipped with measurement modules located on both sides of a housing.

[0098] As shown in Figures 9 and 10, when multiple substrate processing devices are arranged side by side, the minimum necessary gap must be maintained to avoid contact between the measurement modules ML of adjacent substrate processing devices.

[0099] As is clear from the comparison of Figures 9 and 10, placing the measurement module ML on both sides of the housing PL increases the overall footprint of the substrate processing unit. In addition, the spacing between the substrate processing units becomes unnecessarily wide, resulting in a reduction in the number of substrate processing units that can be installed in the cleanroom.

[0100] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 9, by arranging multiple measurement modules ML vertically along one side of the housing PL, it is not necessary to increase the overall footprint size of the substrate processing device unnecessarily, and compared to Figure 10, many more substrate processing devices can be installed in the cleanroom.

[0101] Figure 11 shows another embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus. In the embodiment shown in Figure 11, multiple measurement modules ML are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the substrate processing apparatus (the arrangement direction of the first processing unit 101 and the second processing unit 102). This arrangement also allows many substrate processing apparatuses to be installed in a cleanroom without unnecessarily widening the spacing between them (see Figures 10 and 11).

[0102] On the other hand, in the embodiment shown in Figure 11, at least one of the multiple measurement modules ML is not located in the direction in which the horizontal movement mechanism 56 of the transport robot 55 is laid. Therefore, it is necessary to add a new mechanism (not shown) to allow the transport robot 55 to access each measurement module ML.

[0103] Furthermore, by arranging multiple measurement modules ML horizontally along the longitudinal direction of the substrate processing apparatus, the overall footprint of the substrate processing apparatus becomes larger compared to the overall footprint of the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment shown in Figure 9. However, the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment shown in Figure 11 can also be adopted as needed.

[0104] Figure 12 shows another embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus. In the embodiment shown in Figure 12, multiple measurement modules ML are arranged in the load / unload section 50 along the width direction of the substrate processing apparatus (i.e., the arrangement direction of the cassette loader 53). This arrangement also allows many substrate processing apparatuses to be installed in a cleanroom without unnecessarily widening the spacing between them (see Figures 10 and 12).

[0105] On the other hand, in the embodiment shown in Figure 12, the width of the load / unload section 50 becomes larger than the width of the processing units 101 and 102, resulting in wasted space.

[0106] Furthermore, by arranging multiple measurement modules ML horizontally along the width direction of the substrate processing apparatus, the overall footprint of the substrate processing apparatus becomes larger compared to the overall footprint of the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment shown in Figure 9. However, the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment shown in Figure 12 can also be adopted as needed.

[0107] Figures 13 to 17 show an example of the substrate processing flow in a substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment described with reference to Figures 1 to 9 and Figures 11 and 12. In the embodiment shown in Figures 13 to 17, the program for executing the processing flow is stored in the storage device 15a. The arithmetic unit 15b executes the processing flow based on the program stored in the storage device 15a.

[0108] In the embodiment shown in Figure 13, the operation control unit 15 is configured to execute a processing flow in which the surface condition of the substrate W is measured by the measurement unit 200 before the substrate W is processed (polished) by the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102).

[0109] As shown in steps S101 to S104 of Figure 13, the transport robot 55 takes one substrate W to be processed from the cassette storage 100 and transports it to the upper measurement module ML or the lower measurement module ML. The upper measurement module ML or the lower measurement module ML measures the surface condition of the substrate W.

[0110] Subsequently, the transport robot 55 transports the measured substrate W to the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102) for processing (polishing, washing, and drying) of the substrate W (see steps S105 and S106). After that, the transport robot 55 returns the processed substrate W to the cassette storage 100 (see steps S107 and S108).

[0111] In the embodiment shown in Figure 14, the operation control unit 15 is configured to execute a processing flow in which the surface state of the substrate W is measured by the measurement unit 200 before and after processing the substrate W with the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102).

[0112] As shown in steps S201 to S204 of Figure 14, the transport robot 55 takes one substrate W to be processed from the cassette storage 100 and transports it to the upper measurement module ML or the lower measurement module ML. The upper measurement module ML or the lower measurement module ML measures the surface condition of the substrate W.

[0113] Subsequently, the transport robot 55 transports the measured substrate W to the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102) for processing (polishing, washing, drying) of the substrate W (see steps S205, S206). Then, the transport robot 55 transports the processed substrate W to the upper measuring module ML or the lower measuring module ML (see steps S207 to S209), where the upper measuring module ML or the lower measuring module ML measures the surface condition of the substrate W. Then, the transport robot 55 returns the measured substrate W to the cassette storage 100 (see steps S210, S211).

[0114] In the embodiment shown in Figure 15, the operation control unit 15 is configured to execute a processing flow in which the substrate W is processed (polished) by the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102), and then the surface condition of the substrate W is measured by the measurement unit 200.

[0115] As shown in steps S301 to S303 of Figure 15, the transport robot 55 takes one substrate W to be processed from the cassette storage 100, transports the substrate W to the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102), and processes the substrate W (polishing, washing, drying).

[0116] Subsequently, the transport robot 55 transports the processed substrate W to the upper measurement module ML or the lower measurement module ML (see steps S304 to S306). The upper measurement module ML or the lower measurement module ML measures the surface condition of the substrate W. After that, the transport robot 55 returns the measured substrate W to the cassette storage 100 (see steps S307 and S308).

[0117] In the embodiment shown in Figure 16, the operation control unit 15 is configured to execute a processing flow in which the surface state of the substrate W is measured by the measurement unit 200 before and after processing the substrate W with the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102). In particular, the operation control unit 15 is configured to measure the surface state of the substrate W with the upper measurement module ML before processing the substrate W with the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102), and to measure the surface state of the substrate W with the lower measurement module ML after processing the substrate W with the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102).

[0118] As shown in steps S401 to S403 of Figure 16, the transport robot 55 takes one substrate W to be processed from the cassette storage 100 and transports it to the upper measurement module ML. The upper measurement module ML measures the surface condition of the substrate W.

[0119] Subsequently, the transport robot 55 transports the measured substrate W to the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102) for processing (polishing, washing, drying) of the substrate W (see steps S404, S405). Then, the transport robot 55 transports the processed substrate W to the lower measuring module ML (see steps S406, S407), where the lower measuring module ML measures the surface condition of the substrate W. Then, the transport robot 55 returns the measured substrate W to the cassette storage 100 (see steps S408, S409).

[0120] In the embodiment shown in Figure 17, the operation control unit 15 is configured to execute a processing flow in which the surface state of the substrate W is measured by the measurement unit 200 before and after processing the substrate W with the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102). In particular, the operation control unit 15 is configured to measure the surface state of the substrate W with the lower measurement module ML before processing the substrate W with the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102), and to measure the surface state of the substrate W with the upper measurement module ML after processing the substrate W with the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102).

[0121] As shown in steps S501 to S503 of Figure 17, the transport robot 55 takes one substrate W to be processed from the cassette storage 100 and transports it to the lower measuring module ML. The lower measuring module ML measures the surface condition of the substrate W.

[0122] Subsequently, the transport robot 55 transports the measured substrate W to the processing unit 101 (and / or processing unit 102) for processing (polishing, washing, drying) of the substrate W (see steps S504, S505). Then, the transport robot 55 transports the processed substrate W to the upper measuring module ML (see steps S506, S507), where the upper measuring module ML measures the surface condition of the substrate W. Then, the transport robot 55 returns the measured substrate W to the cassette storage 100 (see steps S508, S509).

[0123] The embodiments described above are intended to enable persons with ordinary skill in the art to implement the present invention. Various modifications of the above embodiments can be made naturally by those skilled in the art, and the technical idea of ​​the present invention can be applied to other embodiments as well. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described, but is to be interpreted in the broadest sense according to the technical idea defined by the claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0124] 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D polishing modules 5. Lifting and conveying device 6. Relay and transport device 7,8,9,10 Cleaning Modules 11 Drying Module 14. Substrate transport device 15. Operation Control Unit 15a Storage device 15b Arithmetic unit 16 Walls 17 Lifting and Transport Area 20 polishing pads 21 Polishing Table 22 Table motors 24 Polishing fluid supply nozzles 25 polishing heads 28 Head Arm 29 Support shaft 33 PCB loader 40 Holding Hand 50 Load / Unload Section 53 Cassette Loader (Load Port) 55 Transport robots 56 Horizontal movement mechanism 57 Vertical movement mechanism 60 Holding Hand 71 PCB Stage 72 Stage Movement Mechanism 100 Cassette Storage (Transport Container) 101 First Processing Unit 102 Second Processing Unit 200 measuring units 201 Substrate transport device 202 Circuit board receiving location 301 Storage Frame P1 1st position P2 2nd position P3 3rd position P4 4th position PL Housing PL1 First exterior wall (front exterior wall) PL2 2nd outer wall (side outer wall) D1 Control Unit D2 measurement part UC Upper Storage Space LC lower storage space FL floor G Gap SL Elastic Seal ML upper measuring module, lower measuring module

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus, A polishing module for polishing the circuit board, A cleaning module for cleaning the aforementioned substrate, A drying module for drying the cleaned substrate, Multiple load ports on which transport containers for housing the aforementioned substrates are placed, A transport robot, located within a housing, transports the substrate before polishing to the polishing module and the substrate dried in the drying module to the transport container, Adjacent to the front outer wall of the housing is a load / unload section in which the plurality of load ports are arranged side by side, A substrate processing apparatus comprising an upper measuring module and a lower measuring module for measuring the surface state of the substrate, which are arranged vertically adjacent to the side outer wall of the housing and connected to the front outer wall, respectively.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the upper measuring module and the lower measuring module is equipped with a measuring unit for measuring the surface condition of the substrate before polishing and / or the surface condition of the substrate after polishing.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein if one of the upper measuring module and the lower measuring module is equipped with the measuring unit, the other of the upper measuring module and the lower measuring module is equipped with at least a control unit that controls the operation of the measuring unit and acquires data measured by the measuring unit.

4. If the upper measuring module comprises the measuring unit and the control unit, the measuring unit in the upper measuring module is located below the control unit. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the lower measuring module comprises the measuring unit and the control unit, the measuring unit in the lower measuring module is located above the control unit.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, if each of the upper measuring module and the lower measuring module is equipped with the measuring unit, the measuring unit in the upper measuring module and the measuring unit in the lower measuring module are arranged adjacent to each other.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a substrate transport position for transporting substrates in the transport container to the polishing module, a substrate receiving position for receiving substrates dried in the drying module, and a horizontal movement mechanism and a vertical movement mechanism for moving the transport robot between the upper measuring module and the lower measuring module.

7. The horizontal movement mechanism has a length corresponding to the distance of the area where the plurality of load ports are arranged. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the vertical movement mechanism has a length corresponding to the distance between the plurality of load ports and the substrate transport position and the substrate receiving position.

8. The substrate processing apparatus includes a housing frame that houses the lower measuring module, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing frame is adjacent to the housing, forming a gap between it and the housing.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the upper measuring module is mounted on the housing frame.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the upper measuring module and the lower measuring module is adjacent to the housing via an elastic seal disposed between them.

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