Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method that enable appropriate adjustment of the substrate drying time. [Solution] The substrate processing apparatus 1 is configured to perform a rinsing process by supplying a rinsing liquid to the upper surface of a substrate W and a drying process by drying the substrate W after the rinsing process. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a state detection device 70 that detects a physical quantity representing the state of the upper surface of the substrate W, and a determination unit that determines whether or not the upper surface of the substrate W is dry. The state detection device 70 detects a physical quantity of the substrate W before the rinsing process as a first physical quantity. The state detection device 70 also detects a physical quantity of the substrate W after the rinsing process as a second physical quantity. The determination unit determines whether or not the upper surface of the substrate W is dry based on the detected first physical quantity and the detected second physical quantity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for performing a rinse process and a drying process on a substrate.

Background Art

[0002] A substrate processing apparatus is used to perform various processes on substrates such as semiconductor substrates, substrates for flat panel displays (FPDs) such as liquid crystal display devices or organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display devices, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, magneto-optical disk substrates, photomask substrates, ceramic substrates, or solar cell substrates.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes, as an example of a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate cleaning apparatus including a plurality of surface cleaning processing units. In each surface cleaning processing unit, a substrate to be carried in is held and rotated by a spin chuck. For the rotating substrate, a cleaning process, a rinse process, and a drying process using a cleaning brush are performed in this order. The substrate after the drying process is carried out from the surface cleaning processing unit and conveyed to a device corresponding to a subsequent process.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the above surface cleaning processing unit, the drying process is performed, for example, by rotating the substrate at a high speed. Thus, a drying method of rotating the substrate at a high speed to dry the substrate is called spin drying. Here, the time spent on the drying process (hereinafter referred to as the drying time) is set based on, for example, experiments or experiences.

[0006] However, the drying time set as described above is not always appropriate. Depending on the size, shape, and physical properties of the substrate being processed, the set drying time may deviate from the actual time required for the substrate to dry. Furthermore, the environment surrounding the substrate (temperature, humidity, etc.) may also cause the set drying time to deviate from the actual time required for the substrate to dry. Such inappropriate drying time settings can lead to substrate processing defects or a decrease in substrate processing throughput.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method that enable appropriate adjustment of the drying time of the substrate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A substrate processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus that performs a rinsing process by supplying a rinsing liquid to the upper surface of a substrate and a drying process by drying the substrate after the rinsing process, and includes a state detection unit that detects a physical quantity representing the state of the upper surface of the substrate and a determination unit that determines whether or not the upper surface of the substrate is dry, wherein the state detection unit detects the physical quantity of the substrate before the rinsing process as a first physical quantity and the physical quantity of the substrate after the rinsing process as a second physical quantity, and the determination unit determines whether or not the upper surface of the substrate is dry based on the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity.

[0009] A substrate processing method according to one aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing method comprising a rinsing process in which a rinsing liquid is supplied to the upper surface of a substrate and a drying process in which the substrate is dried after the rinsing process, comprising the steps of detecting a physical quantity representing the state of the upper surface of the substrate using a state detection unit, and determining whether or not the upper surface of the substrate is dry, wherein the detection step includes detecting the physical quantity of the substrate before the rinsing process as a first physical quantity and detecting the physical quantity of the substrate after the rinsing process as a second physical quantity, and the determination step includes determining whether or not the upper surface of the substrate is dry based on the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it becomes possible to appropriately adjust the drying time of the substrate. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a schematic plan view of a substrate cleaning apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a schematic one-sided side view of the substrate cleaning apparatus as seen in the direction of the white arrow AA. [Figure 3] This is a schematic other side view of the substrate cleaning apparatus as seen in the direction of the white arrow AB in Figure 1. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the fiber sensor included in the state detection device. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between the amount of liquid present on the upper surface of substrate W and the amount of light reflected from the upper surface of substrate W. [Figure 6] This figure shows the results of the rotation verification test. [Figure 7] This figure shows the results of the drying simulation test. [Figure 8] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the substrate cleaning apparatus. [Figure 9] This flowchart shows an example of a drying determination process for determining whether the top surface of a substrate is dry or not. [Figure 10] It is a flowchart showing an example of a drying determination process for determining whether the upper surface of the substrate is dry or not. [Figure 11] It is a schematic plan view showing an example of a substrate processing apparatus including the substrate cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1. [Figure 12] It is a schematic plan view showing an example of the configuration of a state detection apparatus according to another embodiment. [Figure 13] It is a schematic side view of the state detection apparatus of FIG. 12.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the substrate refers to a substrate for FPD (Flat Panel Display) used in a liquid crystal display device or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display device, a semiconductor substrate, a substrate for an optical disk, a substrate for a magnetic disk, a substrate for a magneto-optical disk, a substrate for a photomask, a ceramic substrate, a substrate for a solar cell, or the like.

[0013] The substrate described below has a circular shape in a plan view except for the notch formation portion. The substrate also has a front surface which is a circuit formation surface and a back surface which is a surface opposite to the circuit formation surface. In the following description, regardless of the front and back surfaces of the substrate, the upper-facing surface of the two surfaces of the substrate is referred to as the upper surface of the substrate, and the lower-facing surface of the two surfaces of the substrate is referred to as the lower surface of the substrate.

[0014] 1. Configuration of Substrate Cleaning Apparatus (1) Overall Configuration As an example of a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate cleaning apparatus for cleaning the upper surface of a substrate will be described. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to the present embodiment has a cleaning function for physically removing contaminants such as particles adhering to the upper surface of the substrate.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a substrate cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 viewed in the direction of the white arrow AA in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the other side of the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 viewed in the direction of the white arrow AB in FIG. 1.

[0016] In the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, in order to clarify the positional relationship, the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction that are orthogonal to each other are defined. In each of FIGS. 1 to 3, the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction are appropriately indicated by arrows. The X direction and the Y direction are orthogonal to each other in the horizontal plane, and the Z direction corresponds to the vertical direction (the perpendicular direction).

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 has a configuration in which a substrate holding device 10, a cup device 20, a brush device 30, a spray device 40, a rinse device 50, a gas supply device 60, a state detection device 70, and an opening / closing device 80 are housed in a housing 2. In the side view of FIG. 2, in order to facilitate the understanding of the structure inside the housing of FIG. 1, among the plurality of components inside the housing 2, the components mainly housed in the left half of the housing 2 are shown. Further, in the side view of the other side of FIG. 3, in order to facilitate the understanding of the structure inside the housing 2 of FIG. 1, among the plurality of components inside the housing 2, the components mainly housed in the right half of the housing 2 are shown.

[0018] (2) Housing 2 and opening / closing device 80 The housing 2 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and includes a rectangular bottom surface portion and four side wall portions extending upward from the four sides of the bottom surface portion. Two of the four side wall portions face each other in the Y direction. The other two of the four side wall portions face each other in the X direction. A loading / unloading port 3 for the substrate W is formed at the center of one of the four side wall portions.

[0019] Hereinafter, the side wall portion of the housing 2 in which the loading / unloading port 3 is formed is referred to as the front wall portion 2a. Also, the side wall portion facing the front wall portion in the Y direction is referred to as the rear wall portion 2b. Further, the side wall portion of the housing 2 located to the left when viewing the front wall portion 2a from the rear wall portion 2b is referred to as the left wall portion 2c, and the side wall portion of the housing 2 located to the right when viewing the front wall portion 2a from the rear wall portion 2b is referred to as the right wall portion 2d.

[0020] An opening / closing device 80 is provided in the front wall portion 2a near the loading / unloading port 3. The opening / closing device 80 includes a shutter 81 and a shutter drive unit 82. The shutter drive unit 82 drives the shutter 81. As a result, the state of the shutter 81 switches between a closed state that blocks the loading / unloading port 3 and an open state that opens the loading / unloading port 3.

[0021] The enclosure 2 further has a ceiling section opposite the bottom section. The ceiling section is not shown in Figure 1. An FFU (filter fan unit), not shown, is provided in the ceiling section. When the power to the circuit board cleaning device 1 is turned on, the FFU generates a downward airflow of clean air inside the enclosure 2.

[0022] (3) Substrate holding device 10 A substrate holding device 10 is provided approximately in the center of the bottom surface of the housing 2. The substrate holding device 10 includes a substrate holding part 11 and a rotary drive unit 12 (Figures 2 and 3). The rotary drive unit 12 is, for example, a motor and is fixed to the bottom surface of the housing 2. The rotary drive unit 12 has a rotating shaft 13 that extends upward. The substrate holding part 11 is connected to the upper end of the rotating shaft 13.

[0023] The substrate holder 11 is a so-called spin chuck and has a circular suction surface capable of adsorbing and holding the central region of the lower surface of the substrate W. An intake path is formed in the substrate holder 11 and the rotating shaft 13 to guide the atmosphere on the suction surface to an intake device (not shown). With the substrate W placed on the substrate holder 11, the intake device sucks the atmosphere in the intake path, causing the lower surface of the substrate W to be adsorbed and held by the substrate holder 11. Furthermore, with the substrate W adsorbed and held by the substrate holder 11, the intake of the atmosphere by the intake device is stopped, releasing the substrate W from the substrate holder 11.

[0024] The substrate W is held in a horizontal position by suction by the substrate holding part 11. In this state, the rotation drive unit 12 operates, causing the substrate W to rotate around the rotation axis 13 (around the vertical axis). In Figures 1 to 3, the substrate W held by the substrate holding part 11 is shown by a dashed line. The substrate holding part 11 may be a mechanical chuck type spin chuck that holds the outer peripheral edge of the substrate W with a plurality of support pins (end contact members).

[0025] (4) Cup device 20 In the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, various processing liquids (cleaning liquid and rinsing liquid described later) are supplied to the upper surface of a substrate W that is held and rotated by a substrate holding device 10. Alternatively, a mixed fluid described later is sprayed onto the upper surface of the substrate W. A cup device 20 is used to discard processing liquids that are scattered from the rotating substrate W when various processing liquids are supplied to the substrate W and when the mixed fluid is sprayed.

[0026] The cup device 20 includes a cup 21 and a cup drive unit 22 (Figures 2 and 3). The cup 21 has a substantially cylindrical shape and is provided so as to surround the substrate holding portion 11 in a plan view and extend in the vertical direction. The cup 21 is also provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The cup drive unit 22 includes an actuator such as a motor or an air cylinder. The cup drive unit 22 moves the cup 21 between a predetermined upper cup position and a lower cup position in accordance with the processing of the substrate W.

[0027] The upper cup position is the height position (position in the Z direction) of the cup 21 when the upper end of the cup 21 is above the substrate W held by the substrate holding device 10. This allows the cup 21 to receive the processing liquid splashing from the substrate W when it is in the upper cup position. On the other hand, the lower cup position is the height position of the cup 21 when the upper end of the cup 21 is below the substrate W held by the substrate holding device 10. This allows for horizontal access to the substrate holding section 11 from the side of the cup device 20.

[0028] (5) Brush device 30 The brush device 30 includes a guide rail 31, a brush drive unit 32, a support shaft 33, an arm 34, and a brush unit 35. As shown in Figure 1, the guide rail 31 is attached to the bottom surface of the housing 2 so as to extend in the X direction, at a position between the brush device 30 and the rear wall 2b of the housing 2 in the Y direction.

[0029] The brush drive unit 32 is mounted to be horizontally movable in the X direction along the guide rail 31 and supports the support shaft 33 so that it can move vertically. The brush drive unit 32 also includes an actuator for moving the brush drive unit 32 horizontally and an actuator for moving the support shaft 33 vertically. The support shaft 33 extends upward from the brush drive unit 32 while being supported by the brush drive unit 32. An arm 34 is provided at the upper end of the support shaft 33.

[0030] The arm 34 extends in the Y direction toward the loading / unloading port 3. A brush unit 35 is attached to the tip of the arm 34. In this state, the brush unit 35 is at the same position as the rotation center of the substrate holding part 11 in the Y direction. The brush unit 35 also includes a cleaning brush that contacts the upper surface of the substrate W and physically cleans the upper surface of the substrate W. The cleaning brush is made of, for example, a PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) sponge or a PVA sponge with abrasive particles dispersed in it. A cleaning liquid nozzle (not shown) is provided at the tip of the arm 34.

[0031] In the brush device 30, for example, while the substrate W is held and rotated by the substrate holding device 10, the height position of the support shaft 33 is adjusted and the position of the brush drive unit 32 in the X direction is adjusted so that the cleaning brush contacts the upper surface of the substrate W. Cleaning liquid is supplied onto the substrate W from a cleaning nozzle provided on the arm 34. Furthermore, the brush drive unit 32 moves in the X direction so that the cleaning brush moves in the X direction on the substrate W (see the thick dashed arrow A30 in Figure 1). As a result, the entire upper surface of the substrate W is cleaned. In the following description, the process of cleaning the upper surface of the substrate W with the brush unit 35 will be referred to as the brush cleaning process.

[0032] (6) Spray device 40 The spray device 40 includes a spray drive unit 41, a rotating shaft 42, an arm 43, a spray nozzle 44, and a fluid supply system 45 (described later in Figure 8). As shown in Figure 1, the spray drive unit 41 is located between the brush device 30 and the right wall 2d in the X direction and between the brush device 30 and the rear wall 2b in the Y direction. Also, as shown in Figure 3, the spray drive unit 41 is attached to the bottom surface of the housing 2 and supports the rotating shaft 42 so that it can rotate around the axis of the rotating shaft 42 and move vertically. Furthermore, the spray drive unit 41 includes an actuator for rotating the rotating shaft 42 and an actuator for moving the rotating shaft 42 vertically. The rotating shaft 42 extends upward from the spray drive unit 41 while being supported by the spray drive unit 41. An arm 43 is provided at the upper end of the rotating shaft 42.

[0033] Arm 43 extends horizontally from the upper end of the rotation axis 42. A spray nozzle 44 is attached to the tip of arm 43. The spray nozzle 44 is a so-called two-fluid nozzle. A fluid supply system 45 (Figure 8) is connected to the spray nozzle 44. Cleaning liquid and gas are supplied from the fluid supply system 45 to the spray nozzle 44. As a result, the cleaning liquid and gas are mixed in the spray nozzle 44, and a mixed fluid is generated. The generated mixed fluid is sprayed downward from the spray nozzle 44. The gas supplied to the spray nozzle 44 is an inert gas such as nitrogen gas or argon gas.

[0034] In the spray device 40, for example, with the substrate W held and rotating by the substrate holding device 10, the height position of the rotation axis 42 is adjusted so that the spray nozzle 44 moves above the substrate W, and the rotation axis 42 rotates (see the thick dashed arrow A40 in Figure 1). In this state, the mixed fluid is sprayed from the spray nozzle 44 onto the substrate W. As a result, the entire upper surface of the substrate W is cleaned. In the following description, the process of cleaning the upper surface of the substrate W with the spray nozzle 44 will be referred to as the spray cleaning process.

[0035] In the brush cleaning and spray cleaning processes described above, if a coating film is formed on the substrate W to be treated, the cleaning solution used is one that does not remove (does not strip) the coating film. In other words, the cleaning solution in this example is a liquid that does not affect the composition of the outermost surface of the substrate W. Even if no coating film is formed on the substrate W, the cleaning solution in this example does not affect the composition of the outermost surface of the substrate W, just as it does when a coating film is formed on the substrate W. For example, pure water (deionized water) can be used as such a cleaning solution. Alternatively, instead of pure water, functional water such as carbonated water, ozonated water, hydrogen water, or electrolyzed ionized water can be used as the cleaning solution, or a low-concentration solution of SC1 (a mixture of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide) can be used.

[0036] (7) Rinse device 50 The rinsing device 50 includes a rinsing nozzle 51 and a rinsing liquid supply system 52 (described later in Figure 8). As shown in Figure 1, the rinsing nozzle 51 is positioned to the side of the substrate W held by the substrate holding part 11. In this state, the discharge port of the rinsing nozzle 51, which discharges the rinsing liquid, faces the center of the substrate W held by the substrate holding part 11. Note that the rinsing device 50 is not shown in Figures 2 and 3.

[0037] A rinse liquid supply system 52 (Figure 8) is connected to the rinse nozzle 51. In the rinse device 50, for example, when the substrate W is held and rotated by the substrate holding device 10, rinse liquid is supplied from the rinse liquid supply system 52 to the rinse nozzle 51. As a result, the rinse liquid is discharged toward the center of the upper surface of the substrate W, and the entire upper surface of the substrate W is washed with the rinse liquid. In the following description, the process of washing (rinsing) the upper surface of the substrate W with rinse liquid will be referred to as the rinsing process.

[0038] In the rinsing process, similar to the cleaning solutions used in the brush cleaning and spray cleaning processes, a rinsing solution is used that does not remove (does not strip) the coating film when a coating film is formed on the substrate W being treated. In other words, the rinsing solution in this example is a liquid that does not affect the composition of the outermost surface of the substrate W. Even when no coating film is formed on the substrate W, the rinsing solution in this example does not affect the composition of the outermost surface of the substrate W, just as it does when a coating film is formed on the substrate W. For example, pure water (deionized water) can be used as such a rinsing solution. Alternatively, instead of pure water, functional water such as carbonated water, ozonated water, hydrogen water, or electrolyzed ionized water can be used as the rinsing solution, or a low-concentration solution of SC1 (a mixture of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide) can be used.

[0039] (8) Gas supply device 60 The gas supply device 60 includes a nozzle drive unit 61, a rotating shaft 62, an arm 63, a gas nozzle 64, and a gas supply system 65 (Figure 8, described later). As shown in Figure 1, the nozzle drive unit 61 is located between the brush device 30 and the left wall 2c in the X direction and between the brush device 30 and the front wall 2a in the Y direction.

[0040] The nozzle drive unit 61 is a motor, and the rotating shaft 62 is the rotating shaft of the motor of the nozzle drive unit 61. As shown in Figure 2, the nozzle drive unit 61 is fixed near the bottom surface of the housing 2 such that the rotating shaft 62 extends diagonally upward toward the rear wall 2b. A rod-shaped arm 63 is attached to the tip (upper end) of the rotating shaft 62 so as to extend in one direction from that tip. In this example, the angle between the rotating shaft 62 and the arm 63 is 90°. A gas nozzle 64 is attached to the tip of the arm 63.

[0041] Within the housing 2, a gas nozzle standby position p61 and a gas supply position p62 are predefined for the gas supply device 60. The gas nozzle standby position p61 is the position where the gas nozzle 64 is kept in standby within the housing 2 when the gas supply device 60 is not in use. The gas supply position p62 is the position where the gas nozzle 64 should be positioned when the gas supply device 60 is in use.

[0042] In this example, the gas nozzle standby position p61 is defined in the space above the nozzle drive unit 61 and the rotation axis 62. On the other hand, the gas supply position p62 is defined in the space above the center of the substrate W held by the substrate holding device 10.

[0043] As the nozzle drive unit 61 operates, the rotating shaft 62 rotates. At this time, the arm 63 rotates together with the rotating shaft 62. As a result, the gas nozzle 64 moves between the gas nozzle standby position p61 and the gas supply position p62.

[0044] Here, the gas nozzle 64 is fixed to the arm 63 such that when it is positioned at the gas supply position p62, the nozzle that injects the gas faces downward. In other words, when the gas nozzle 64 is positioned at the gas supply position p62, the nozzle that injects the gas faces the upper surface of the substrate W held by the substrate holding device 10.

[0045] A gas supply system 65 (Figure 8) is connected to the gas nozzle 64. Gas is supplied from the gas supply system 65 to the gas nozzle 64. The gas supplied to the gas nozzle 64 is an inert gas such as nitrogen gas or argon gas.

[0046] In the gas supply device 60, for example, while the substrate W is held and rotated by the substrate holding device 10, the gas nozzle 64 is moved from the gas nozzle standby position p61 to the gas supply position p62 without any processing liquids being supplied to the substrate W (see the thick dashed arrow A60 in Figures 1 and 2). With the gas nozzle 64 in the gas supply position p62, gas is injected from the gas nozzle 64 onto the substrate W. This creates a flow of gas injected from the gas nozzle 64 on the upper surface of the substrate W, promoting the drying of the substrate W. In the following description, the process of injecting gas from the gas nozzle 64 onto the upper surface of the substrate W while rotating the substrate W is referred to as the drying process.

[0047] In the gas supply device 60, as shown in Figure 2, when the gas nozzle 64 moves between the gas nozzle standby position p61 and the gas supply position p62, the gas nozzle 64 moves in a direction that is inclined with respect to the upper surface and vertical axis of the substrate W. As a result, the gas nozzle 64 does not interfere with the cup 21, even when the cup 21 is in the cup-top position.

[0048] In other words, when moving the gas nozzle 64 from the gas nozzle standby position p61 to the gas supply position p62, the gas nozzle 64 can be brought closer to the top surface of the substrate W from a position diagonally above the top surface of the substrate W, so as to straddle a part of the cup 21. Also, when moving the gas nozzle 64 from the gas supply position p62 to the gas nozzle standby position p61, the gas nozzle 64 can be pulled up diagonally above the substrate W from the gas supply position p62, which is close to the top surface of the substrate W, so as to straddle a part of the cup 21.

[0049] Furthermore, according to the configuration of the gas supply device 60 described above, the gas nozzle standby position p61 is located away from the substrate W held by the substrate holding device 10 in a plan view. As a result, even if contaminants such as particles fall from the gas nozzle 64 while the gas nozzle 64 is in standby mode, contamination of the substrate W due to those contaminants is suppressed.

[0050] (9) State detection device 70 The state detection device 70 includes a head drive unit 71, a rotating shaft 72, an arm 73, a head unit 74, a light-emitting unit 75 (described later in Figure 4), and a light-receiving unit 76 (described later in Figure 4). As shown in Figure 1, the head drive unit 71 is located between the brush device 30 and the right wall unit 2d in the X direction and between the brush device 30 and the front wall unit 2a in the Y direction.

[0051] The head drive unit 71 is a motor, and the rotating shaft 72 is the rotating shaft of the motor of the head drive unit 71. As shown in Figure 3, the head drive unit 71 is fixed near the bottom surface of the housing 2 such that the rotating shaft 72 extends diagonally upward toward the rear wall 2b. A rod-shaped arm 73 is attached to the tip (upper end) of the rotating shaft 72 so as to extend in one direction from that tip. In this example, the angle between the rotating shaft 72 and the arm 73 is 90°. The head unit 74 is attached to the tip of the arm 73.

[0052] Within the housing 2, a head standby position p71 and a detection position p72 are predetermined for the state detection device 70. The head standby position p71 is the position in which the head unit 74 is kept in standby within the housing 2 when the state detection device 70 is not in use. The detection position p72 is the position in which the head unit 74 should be positioned when the state detection device 70 is in use.

[0053] In this example, the head standby position p71 is defined in the space above the head drive unit 71 and the rotation axis 72. On the other hand, the detection position p72 is defined in the space above the substrate W held by the substrate holding device 10. Here, it is preferable that the detection position p72 is defined to overlap with a position offset from the center of the substrate W held by the substrate holding device 10 in a plan view, and more preferably that it is defined to overlap with the peripheral edge (near the outer edge) of the substrate W held by the substrate holding device 10 in a plan view.

[0054] As the head drive unit 71 operates, the rotating shaft 72 rotates. At this time, the arm 73 rotates together with the rotating shaft 72. As a result, the head unit 74 moves between the head standby position p71 and the detection position p72.

[0055] Here, the state detection device 70 includes a so-called fiber sensor. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the fiber sensor provided in the state detection device 70. As shown in Figure 4, the fiber sensor mainly consists of a head unit 74, a light-emitting unit 75, and a light-receiving unit 76. The light-emitting unit 75 includes a light source 75a and an optical fiber 75b. One end of the optical fiber 75b is connected to the light source 75a. The light-receiving unit 76 includes a light-receiving element 76a and an optical fiber 76b. One end of the optical fiber 76b is connected to the light-receiving element 76a.

[0056] The head portion 74 is a component that bundles and integrally holds the other ends of the optical fibers 75b and 76b, and has a light-emitting and light-receiving surface 74a to which the other ends of the optical fibers 75b and 76b are fixed. With this configuration, the light source 75a and the light-receiving element 76a are positioned within the housing 2 at a distance from the head portion 74.

[0057] In the fiber sensor described above, light generated by the light source 75a is emitted through the optical fiber 75b into the space opposite the light-emitting / receiving surface 74a of the head unit 74. At this time, the light reflected in the space opposite the light-emitting / receiving surface 74a is incident as feedback light at the other end of the optical fiber 76b of the light-emitting / receiving surface 74a and is guided through the optical fiber 76b to the light-receiving element 76a. The light-receiving element 76a outputs a signal indicating the amount of light received from the optical fiber 76b. The light source 75a includes a light-emitting element that generates, for example, red light with a wavelength of about 650 nm or infrared light with a wavelength of about 900 nm.

[0058] The state detection device 70 may include an amplifier device that amplifies the signal output from the light receiving unit 76. Alternatively, the state detection device 70 may include a signal processing device that performs predetermined signal processing (noise filtering or waveform shaping) on ​​the signal output from the light receiving unit 76. In the following description, the signal output from the light receiving element 76a, the signal output from the light receiving element 76a and amplified by the amplifier device, and the signal output from the light receiving element 76a and subjected to predetermined signal processing are collectively referred to as the received signal.

[0059] The head unit 74 is fixed to the arm 73 such that when it is positioned at the detection position p72 in Figure 3, the light-emitting and light-receiving surface 74a in Figure 4 faces downward. In other words, when the head unit 74 is positioned at the detection position p72, the light-emitting and light-receiving surface 74a faces the upper surface of the substrate W held by the substrate holding device 10.

[0060] In the state detection device 70, for example, when the substrate W is held and rotated by the substrate holding device 10, the head unit 74 is moved from the head standby position p71 to the detection position p72 (see the thick dashed arrow A70 in Figures 1 and 3). With the head unit 74 in the detection position p72, light generated from the light source 75a is emitted from the optical fiber 75b and the head unit 74 onto the upper surface of the substrate W. At this time, the light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W is incident on the light receiving element 76a through the head unit 74 and the optical fiber 76b. As a result, the light receiving unit 76 outputs a light receiving signal indicating the amount of light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W.

[0061] As will be described later, when light is emitted from the head unit 74 to the upper surface of the substrate W, the amount of light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W and returned to the head unit 74 (the amount of light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W) changes depending on the state of the upper surface of the substrate W. The state of the upper surface of the substrate W referred to here is the amount of liquid present on the upper surface of the substrate W.

[0062] Therefore, as described above, by positioning the head unit 74 at the detection position p72 and emitting light from the head unit 74 onto the upper surface of the substrate W, it is possible to detect how much liquid is present on the upper surface of the substrate W based on the light received signal output from the light receiving unit 76. In the following description, the operation of positioning the head unit 74 at the detection position p72, irradiating the substrate W with light, and receiving reflected light from the substrate W will be referred to as the detection operation.

[0063] In the state detection device 70, as shown in Figure 3, when the head unit 74 moves between the head standby position p71 and the detection position p72, the head unit 74 moves in a direction that is inclined with respect to the upper surface and vertical axis of the substrate W. As a result, the head unit 74 does not interfere with the cup 21 even when the cup 21 is in the cup-up position.

[0064] In other words, when moving the head unit 74 from the head standby position p71 to the detection position p72, the head unit 74 can be brought closer to the top surface of the substrate W from a position diagonally above the top surface of the substrate W, so as to straddle a part of the cup 21. Also, when moving the head unit 74 from the detection position p72 to the head standby position p71, the head unit 74 can be pulled up diagonally above the substrate W from the detection position p72, which is close to the top surface of the substrate W, so as to straddle a part of the cup 21.

[0065] Furthermore, according to the configuration of the state detection device 70 described above, the head standby position p71 is located away from the substrate W held by the substrate holding device 10 in a plan view. As a result, even if contaminants such as particles fall from the head drive unit 71 when the head unit 74 is in standby mode, contamination of the substrate W due to those contaminants is suppressed.

[0066] (10) Control device As shown in Figure 1, the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 further includes a control device 900. The control device 900 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory device. The memory device stores a substrate cleaning program and a drying determination program. The CPU of the control device 900 controls the operation of each of the above components (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80) by executing the substrate cleaning program and drying determination program stored in the memory device. Details of the control device 900 will be described later.

[0067] 2. Amount of light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W. As explained in the "Summary of the Invention," setting an inappropriate drying time can lead to processing defects in the substrate W or a decrease in the throughput of substrate processing. One way to solve this problem is to accurately understand the state of the substrate W during the drying process. That is, one way to solve this problem is to accurately understand when the liquid has disappeared from the top surface of the substrate W and the substrate W is completely dry. If it is possible to accurately understand when the substrate W is completely dry, the time required from the start of the drying process until the substrate W is completely dry can be used as the drying time.

[0068] To accurately determine that the substrate W is completely dry, we focus on the amount of light reflected from the top surface of the substrate W, which is a physical quantity that changes depending on the amount of liquid present on the top surface of the substrate W. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between the amount of liquid present on the top surface of the substrate W and the amount of light reflected from the top surface of the substrate W.

[0069] As shown in the upper part of Figure 5, we assume a case where no liquid LQ such as cleaning solution or rinsing solution is present on the upper surface of the substrate W, and light is emitted from the head unit 74 in Figure 4 onto the upper surface of the substrate W. In this case, when the light emitted from the head unit 74 is totally reflected on the upper surface of the substrate W, the reflected light will enter the head unit 74 with almost no attenuation. As a result, the received signal output from the light receiving unit 76 will show a sufficiently large amount of received light (amount of light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W).

[0070] On the other hand, as shown in the middle section of Figure 5, consider the case where a large amount of liquid LQ is present on the upper surface of the substrate W, and light is emitted from the head unit 74 in Figure 4 onto the upper surface of the substrate W. In this case, the light emitted from the head unit 74 reaches the upper surface of the substrate W through the thick film of liquid LQ. Furthermore, the reflected light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W is again incident on the head unit 74 through the film of liquid LQ.

[0071] Here, as light passes through the liquid LQ, a portion of the light diffuses within the liquid LQ. Another portion of the light is absorbed by the liquid LQ. As a result, the amount of feedback light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W and incident on the head unit 74 is significantly reduced compared to when there is no liquid LQ on the substrate W. Consequently, the received signal output from the light receiving unit 76 shows an extremely small amount of received light (amount of light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W) compared to when there is no liquid LQ on the substrate W.

[0072] On the other hand, as shown in the lower part of Figure 5, consider the case where a small amount of liquid LQ is present on the upper surface of the substrate W, and light is emitted from the head unit 74 in Figure 4 onto the upper surface of the substrate W. In this case, the light emitted from the head unit 74 reaches the upper surface of the substrate W through the small thickness of the liquid LQ film. The reflected light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W is then incident on the head unit 74 again through the liquid LQ film.

[0073] In this example, as in the example in the middle of Figure 5, when light passes through the liquid LQ, a portion of the light is diffused within the liquid LQ. Another portion of the light is absorbed by the liquid LQ. However, in this example, the amount of liquid LQ present on the upper surface of the substrate W is significantly smaller than in the example in the middle of Figure 5. Therefore, the amount of feedback light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W and incident on the head unit 74 is lower than when there is no liquid LQ on the substrate W, but the reduction is small. Consequently, the received signal output from the light receiving unit 76 will show a slightly smaller amount of received light (amount of light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W) compared to when there is no liquid LQ on the substrate W.

[0074] 3. Dryness determination conditions for determining whether the upper surface of the substrate W is dry or not. As described above, the amount of light reflected from the top surface of the substrate W is a useful physical quantity for determining how much liquid LQ is present on the top surface of the substrate W. The inventors conducted two experiments to appropriately determine the drying criteria for determining whether the top surface of the substrate W is dry or not based on the amount of light reflected from the top surface of the substrate W.

[0075] First, the inventors conducted a rotation verification experiment to confirm whether the amount of light reflected from the upper surface of a dry substrate W changes according to the rotation speed of the substrate W. Specifically, light was emitted from a head unit 74 positioned at detection position p72 onto the upper surface of the substrate W, which was held and rotated by the substrate holding device 10. This allowed for the detection of the amount of light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W. Furthermore, while continuing to detect the amount of light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W, the rotation speed of the substrate W was varied between 500 rpm and 1000 rpm.

[0076] Figure 6 shows the results of the rotation verification test. In Figure 6, the results of the rotation verification test are shown in a graph. In the graph in Figure 6, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the value of the received signal output from the light receiving unit 76 (a value indicating the amount of light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W).

[0077] As shown by the thick solid arrows in Figure 6, in this example, the rotation speed of the substrate W was maintained at 500 rpm from time t0 to time t1, and at 1000 rpm from time t1 to time t2. As a result, the value of the received signal output from the light receiving unit 76 was maintained at an almost constant value α from time t0 to time t2, regardless of the rotation speed of the substrate W. From this, it was found that it is not necessary to include information about the rotation speed of the substrate W in the drying determination condition for determining whether or not the top surface of the substrate W is dry.

[0078] Next, the inventors conducted a drying simulation test to verify how the amount of light reflected from the upper surface of a dried substrate W actually changes when rinsing and drying are performed in that order on the dried substrate W. Specifically, a dried substrate W was set on a substrate holding device 10 and rotated at a rotational speed of 500 rpm. A head unit 74 was placed at the detection position p72 and light was emitted from the head unit 74 onto the upper surface of the rotating substrate W. This allowed for the detection of the amount of light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W. This state was used as the initial state, and rinsing and drying were performed in that order while continuing to detect the amount of light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W.

[0079] Figure 7 shows the results of a simulated drying test. In Figure 7, the results of the simulated drying test are shown in a graph. In the graph of Figure 7, similar to the graph of Figure 6, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the value of the light received signal output from the light receiving unit 76 (a value indicating the amount of light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W).

[0080] As shown by the thick solid arrows in Figure 7, in this example, the initial state was maintained from time t10 to time t11. Subsequently, a rinsing process was performed from time t11 to time t12. In this rinsing process, the rotation speed of the substrate W was maintained at 500 rpm, and rinsing liquid was supplied to the upper surface of the rotating substrate W. After that, from time t12 to time t14, the supply of various processing liquids to the substrate W was stopped, and a drying process was performed. In this drying process, the rotation speed of the substrate W was maintained at 1000 rpm, and gas was supplied to the upper surface of the rotating substrate W.

[0081] Furthermore, during the drying process in this example, the inventors visually observed the upper surface of the substrate W. During the drying process of the substrate W, interference fringes appear on the upper surface of the substrate W while it is still wet. These interference fringes disappear when the substrate W is completely dry. Therefore, it is relatively easy for a person to visually determine whether or not the upper surface of the substrate W is dry. In this simulated drying test, the inventors determined that the upper surface of the substrate W was dry at time t13, between time t12 and time t14. In the following explanation, the time between time t12 and time t13 will be referred to as the "interference period".

[0082] As shown in Figure 7, the value of the received signal output from the light receiving unit 76 is maintained at a nearly constant value β from time t10 to time t11. Subsequently, when the rinsing process is started, the value of the received signal changes irregularly over a relatively large range. This phenomenon is thought to be caused by variations in the flow rate of the rinsing liquid supplied to the substrate W. Note that the value of the received signal during the rinsing process is basically lower than the value β corresponding to the initial state because rinsing liquid is present on the substrate W.

[0083] When the drying process begins at time t12, the irregular changes in the value of the received light signal cease as the supply of the rinsing solution stops. Subsequently, the value of the received light signal begins to change regularly, with a value γ that is a certain amount lower than value β as a reference. Specifically, in this example, during the "interference period," the value of the received light signal changes in a way that resembles a sine wave, with the period and amplitude increasing as time progresses. This change in the value of the received light signal is thought to be due to the periodic fulfillment of the thin film interference conditions as the thickness of the liquid film on the upper surface of the substrate W gradually decreases.

[0084] Subsequently, when the substrate W dries at time t13, the value of the received light signal is maintained at the value β corresponding to the initial state. From this, it can be seen that the time between time t13 and time t14 is unnecessary for the drying process. Furthermore, it can be seen that it is preferable to include, for example, "the value of the received light signal is maintained for a certain period of time within an acceptable range that includes the value β of the received light signal corresponding to the substrate W in its initial state."

[0085] As a result, in the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, the value of the received light signal obtained by performing the detection operation of the state detection device 70 on an untreated substrate W is defined as the first received light amount. Specifically, the first received light amount is defined as a representative value (e.g., the average or median) of multiple received light signal values ​​acquired within a predetermined period at a constant sampling period by the detection operation on the untreated substrate W.

[0086] Furthermore, a predetermined tolerance range is determined for each substrate W, including the first light-receiving amount. The tolerance range is determined to be, for example, a range that can cover the noise component of the light-receiving signal output from the light-receiving unit 76, centered around the first light-receiving amount.

[0087] Furthermore, for one substrate W after rinsing, the value of the received light signal obtained by performing the detection operation of the state detection device 70 during the drying process is defined as the second amount of received light. Specifically, each of the values ​​of multiple received light signals acquired at a constant sampling period by the detection operation is defined as the second amount of received light.

[0088] Furthermore, the drying determination condition is whether or not the second amount of light received acquired during the drying process is maintained within a predetermined allowable range for a predetermined determination time. Thus, if the drying determination condition is not met, i.e., if the second amount of light received is not maintained within the allowable range for the determination time, the substrate W can be determined to be not dry. On the other hand, if the drying determination condition is met, i.e., if the second amount of light received is maintained within the allowable range for the determination time, the substrate W can be determined to be dry. The determination time is set based on the user's operation of the operation unit 90 (Figure 8), which will be described later, and is, for example, 0.5 seconds. The determination time may also be predetermined by the manufacturer of the substrate cleaning device 1, regardless of the user's setting using the operation unit 90.

[0089] 4. Control system for substrate cleaning device 1 The control system of the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 will be described along with the configuration of the control device 900 shown in Figure 1. Figure 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 8, the control device 900 includes a CPU 910, RAM (random access memory) 920, ROM (read-on memory) 930, and storage device 940.

[0090] RAM920 is used as a workspace for CPU910. ROM930 stores the system program. The storage device940 includes a storage medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory and stores a substrate processing program for performing brush cleaning, spray cleaning, rinsing, and drying processes, and a drying determination program for determining whether the top surface of the substrate W is dry.

[0091] Furthermore, the storage device 940 stores various processing conditions for brush cleaning, spray cleaning, rinsing, and drying. The processing conditions for drying include drying time. In addition, the storage device 940 stores a "method for determining the acceptable range" and "drying determination conditions" for determining whether the upper surface of the substrate W is dry.

[0092] The substrate processing program and drying determination program may be provided on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM 950 and installed in the ROM 930 or storage device 940. Alternatively, the substrate processing program and drying determination program may be distributed via a communication network from a server outside the substrate cleaning device 1 and installed in the ROM 930 or storage device 940.

[0093] As the CPU 910 executes the substrate processing program, each time a substrate W is brought into the substrate cleaning device 1, brush cleaning, spray cleaning, rinsing, and drying are performed in that order.

[0094] At this time, the CPU 910 controls the operation of the rotary drive unit 12 (Figure 1) of the substrate holding device 10, the cup drive unit 22 (Figure 1) of the cup device 20, and the brush drive unit 32 (Figure 1) of the brush device 30 according to various conditions stored in the storage device 940. The CPU 910 also controls the operation of the spray drive unit 41 (Figure 1) of the spray device 40, the fluid supply system 45 of the spray device 40, the rinse liquid supply system 52 of the rinse device 50, the gas supply system 65 of the gas supply device 60, and the shutter drive unit 82 (Figure 1) of the opening / closing device 80.

[0095] Here, the CPU 910 includes an operation control unit 911, an acquisition unit 912, a determination unit 913, and a timing unit 914 as functional units for determining whether or not the upper surface of the substrate W is dry. The above-mentioned functional units are realized when the CPU 910 executes a dryness determination program on the RAM 920. Some or all of the functional units of the CPU 910 may be realized by hardware such as electronic circuits.

[0096] When the determination unit 913 performs a process to determine whether or not the upper surface of the substrate W is dry (a drying determination process described later), it first deletes the drying time stored in the storage device 940.

[0097] The operation control unit 911 controls the operation of the light-emitting unit 75, light-receiving unit 76, and head drive unit 71 of the state detection device 70 so that a first amount of light is detected after the substrate W is loaded into the substrate cleaning device 1 and before the brush cleaning and spray cleaning processes are performed. Furthermore, the operation control unit 911 controls the operation of the light-emitting unit 75, light-receiving unit 76, and head drive unit 71 of the state detection device 70 so that a second amount of light is detected during the drying process of the substrate W.

[0098] The acquisition unit 912 acquires the values ​​of the light received signals sequentially output from the light receiving unit 76 after the substrate W is loaded into the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 and before the brush cleaning and spray cleaning processes are performed. The acquisition unit 912 also calculates a representative value from the multiple acquired light received signal values ​​and acquires (detects) it as the first light received amount. Furthermore, during the drying process of the substrate W, the acquisition unit 912 acquires (detects) the values ​​of the light received signals sequentially output from the light receiving unit 76 as the second light received amount.

[0099] The determination unit 913 determines an acceptable range (acceptable range of light received) for determining whether the upper surface of the substrate W is dry, based on the first light received amount generated by the acquisition unit 912 and the method for determining the acceptable range stored in the storage device 940. The determination unit 913 also determines whether the second light received amount, which is sequentially acquired by the acquisition unit 912 during the drying process, is within the acceptable range.

[0100] The timing unit 914 has a first timer and a second timer. After the first timer determines that the second light-receiving amount is within an acceptable range, the timing unit 914 measures the time during which the second light-receiving amount remains within an acceptable range. In this case, the determination unit 913 determines whether the drying determination conditions have been met based on the measurement results of the timing unit 914 and a predetermined determination time. If the drying determination conditions are met, the determination unit 913 stops the drying process of the substrate W.

[0101] Furthermore, the timing unit 914 uses a second timer to measure the time from the start of the drying process until it is determined that the drying criteria have been met. In this case, the determination unit 913 stores the measurement result from the timing unit 914 in the storage device 940 as the drying time required for the next substrate W drying process.

[0102] As shown in Figure 8, the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 further includes an operation unit 90. The operation unit 90 includes a keyboard and a pointing device and is configured to be operable by a user. By operating the operation unit 90, the user can give a command to the control device 900 to execute the drying judgment program. The user can also input information such as the "method for determining the acceptable range" and the "judgment time" by operating the operation unit 90.

[0103] Furthermore, the user can input information regarding the operating conditions for the brush cleaning process and the spray cleaning process by operating the control unit 90. In addition, the user can input information regarding the operating conditions for the rinsing process and the drying process by operating the control unit 90. Upon receiving information, the CPU 910 stores the input information in the storage device 940.

[0104] 5. Dryness determination process Figures 9 and 10 are flowcharts showing an example of a drying determination process for determining whether the upper surface of the substrate W is dry or not. The drying determination process according to this embodiment is started, for example, in response to a command to execute a drying determination program input from the operation unit 90. In this example, the drying determination process is performed in parallel with the substrate processing based on the substrate processing program.

[0105] Furthermore, the substrate processing based on the substrate processing program shall include at least the rinsing and drying processes from the above-mentioned brush cleaning process, spray cleaning process, rinsing process, and drying process. In other words, the substrate processing according to this embodiment may or may not include the brush cleaning process. Also, the substrate processing according to this embodiment may or may not include the spray cleaning process. If at least one of the brush cleaning process and the spray cleaning process is performed, the rinsing process shall be performed after those cleaning processes.

[0106] When the drying determination process is started, the determination unit 913 in Figure 8 deletes the drying time stored in the storage device 940, and the operation control unit 911 in Figure 8 controls the head drive unit 71 to hold the head unit 74 in the head standby position p71 (step S10).

[0107] Subsequently, the operation control unit 911 determines whether or not an unprocessed substrate W has been loaded into the substrate cleaning device 1 (step S11). The operation of each part within the substrate cleaning device 1 in conjunction with the loading of the substrate W (substrate W receiving operation) shall be performed according to the substrate processing program.

[0108] If the substrate W is not loaded into the substrate cleaning device 1, the process in step S11 is repeated. On the other hand, if the substrate W is loaded into the substrate cleaning device 1, the operation control unit 911 determines whether or not the cup 21 has started moving from the lower cup position to the upper cup position (step S12). The movement of the cup from the lower cup position to the upper cup position is performed while the unprocessed substrate W is held by suction on the substrate holding unit 11 and the substrate W is rotating.

[0109] If cup 21 does not begin to move from the lower cup position to the upper cup position, the process in step S12 is repeated. On the other hand, if cup 21 begins to move from the lower cup position to the upper cup position, the operation control unit 911 controls the head drive unit 71 to move the head unit 74 from the head standby position p71 to the detection position p72 (step S13).

[0110] Next, the operation control unit 911 controls the light-emitting unit 75 and the light-receiving unit 76 to emit light from the head unit 74 onto the upper surface of the substrate W, and to cause the reflected light from the upper surface of the substrate W to enter the light-receiving unit 76. As a result, the acquisition unit 912 in Figure 8 detects the first amount of received light based on the value of the received light signal sequentially output from the light-receiving unit 76 (step S14).

[0111] Next, the operation control unit 911 controls the head drive unit 71 to move the head unit 74 from the detection position p72 to the head standby position p71 (step S15). As a result, the head unit 74 is held again in the head standby position p71. Note that the processes in steps S11 to S15 described above are performed before the brush cleaning process, spray cleaning process, and rinsing process are started on the substrate W.

[0112] Next, the determination unit 913 in Figure 8 determines an acceptable range (acceptable range of light received) for determining whether the upper surface of the substrate W is dry or not, based on the detected first amount of light received and the method for determining the acceptable range stored in the storage device 940 in Figure 8 (step S16).

[0113] Subsequently, the timing unit 914 in Figure 8 determines whether or not the drying process has started for the substrate W that was brought in in step S11 (step S17). If the drying process has not started, the process in step S17 is repeated. On the other hand, if the drying process has started, the timing unit 914 resets the second timer and starts measuring time using the second timer (step S18). Furthermore, the timing unit 914 resets the first timer and starts measuring time using the first timer (step S19).

[0114] Next, the motion control unit 911 controls the head drive unit 71 to move the head unit 74 from the head standby position p71 to the detection position p72 (step S20).

[0115] Next, the operation control unit 911 controls the light-emitting unit 75 and the light-receiving unit 76 to emit light from the head unit 74 onto the upper surface of the substrate W, and to cause the reflected light from the upper surface of the substrate W to enter the light-receiving unit 76. As a result, the acquisition unit 912 detects the value of the received signal output from the light-receiving unit 76 as the second amount of received light (step S21).

[0116] Next, the determination unit 913 determines whether the detected second light-receiving amount is within the acceptable range determined in the previous step S16 (step S22). If the second light-receiving amount is not within the acceptable range, the process returns to step S19. On the other hand, if the second light-receiving amount is within the acceptable range, the timing unit 914 determines whether the measurement time of the first timer has exceeded a predetermined determination time (step S23).

[0117] If the measurement time of the first timer does not exceed a predetermined determination time, the process returns to step S20. On the other hand, if the measurement time of the first timer exceeds a predetermined determination time, the determination unit 913 determines that the drying determination condition has been met, that is, that the upper surface of the substrate W has dried (step S24).

[0118] Next, the determination unit 913 controls the substrate holding device 10 to stop the rotation of the substrate W and forcibly terminate the drying process (step S25). Note that during the execution of the drying determination process, the drying time is not stored in the storage device 940 while the processes from step S10 to step S24 are performed. Therefore, the drying process of the substrate W is terminated only by the process in step S25.

[0119] After the processing in step S25, the determination unit 913 stores the time measured by the second timer from the start of the drying process until it is determined that the upper surface of the substrate W is dry in the storage device 940 as the drying time (step S26). In this way, the drying time, which is part of the processing conditions for the drying process, is set to an appropriate time.

[0120] Subsequently, the timing unit 914 turns off the first timer and the second timer (step S27). This stops the timing function of the timing unit 914. The operation control unit 911 also controls the head drive unit 71 to move the head unit 74 from the detection position p72 to the head standby position p71 (step S28). This completes the drying determination process.

[0121] As described above, the drying determination process accurately measures the time required from the start of the drying process for the substrate W until the top surface of the substrate W is dry, and the measurement result is defined as the drying time. As a result, after the drying determination process, the untreated substrate W that is brought into the substrate cleaning device 1 will be dried for an appropriate drying time.

[0122] 6. Effects (a) In the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 described above, the first light-receiving amount can be considered as a physical quantity corresponding to a dried substrate W. By detecting the second light-receiving amount during the drying process of the substrate W and comparing the second light-receiving amount with the first light-receiving amount, it becomes possible to make an appropriate determination, depending on the substrate W, as to whether the top surface of the substrate W is dry. Furthermore, it becomes possible to make an appropriate determination, depending on the surrounding environment (temperature or humidity, etc.) of the substrate W, as to whether the top surface of the substrate W is dry. Therefore, it becomes possible to appropriately determine the time required to dry the substrate W. As a result, it becomes possible to appropriately adjust the drying time of the substrate W during the drying process.

[0123] By appropriately adjusting the drying time of the substrate W during the drying process, drying defects of the substrate W and a decrease in the throughput of the substrate processing can be suppressed.

[0124] (b) In the drying determination process described above, both the first and second light-receiving quantities are detected while the substrate W is rotating. That is, the operating state of the substrate W is the same when the first and second light-receiving quantities are detected. Therefore, detection errors caused by the operating state of the substrate W are less likely to occur between the detection of the first and second light-receiving quantities. Consequently, the time required for the substrate W to dry can be determined more appropriately.

[0125] (c) In the drying determination process described above, the drying process is stopped when it is determined that the upper surface of the substrate W is dry. As a result, the drying time of the drying process is adjusted to an appropriate time during the drying determination process. Therefore, drying defects of the substrate W and a decrease in the throughput of the substrate processing are suppressed.

[0126] (d) In the drying determination process described above, the time from the start of the drying process until the top surface of the substrate W is actually dry is measured, and this measured time is stored in the storage device 940 as the drying time. As a result, when multiple substrates W are processed consecutively after the drying determination process, it is not necessary to perform the drying determination process for each substrate W.

[0127] (e) In the above-described substrate cleaning apparatus 1, the amount of light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W is used as a physical quantity to determine whether or not the upper surface of the substrate W is dry. A reflective photodetector including a light-emitting unit 75 and a light-receiving unit 76 is used to obtain the amount of light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W. This makes it possible to determine whether or not the substrate W is dry with a simple configuration.

[0128] 7. Substrate processing apparatus equipped with substrate cleaning device 1 Figure 11 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a substrate processing apparatus equipped with the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 11, the substrate processing apparatus 800 in this example has an indexer block 801 and a processing block 802. The indexer block 801 and the processing block 802 are arranged adjacent to each other.

[0129] The indexer block 801 includes multiple (four in this example) carrier mounting tables 810 and transport units 820. The multiple carrier mounting tables 810 are connected to the transport units 820 and are arranged in a row with some space between them. A carrier C that holds multiple substrates W is placed on each carrier mounting table 810.

[0130] The transport unit 820 is equipped with an indexer robot 831 and a control device 832. The indexer robot 831 includes a plurality (e.g., four) of hands and is configured to hold and transport the substrate W. The control device 832 includes a CPU and memory or a microcomputer and controls each component within the substrate processing apparatus 800.

[0131] As shown in Figure 11, the processing block 802 includes cleaning units 841, 842 and a transport unit 843. The cleaning units 841, 843, and 842 are arranged adjacent to the transport unit 820 and in that order. In each cleaning unit 841, 842, multiple (for example, four) substrate cleaning devices 1 are stacked vertically. These substrate cleaning devices 1 are the substrate cleaning devices 1 shown in Figure 1. That is, in the substrate processing apparatus 800 of Figure 11, the substrate cleaning device 1 of Figure 1 is provided as one processing unit constituting the substrate processing apparatus 800.

[0132] The transport unit 843 is equipped with a main robot 844. The main robot 844 includes multiple (for example, four) hands and is configured to hold and transport the substrate W.

[0133] Between the indexer block 801 and the processing block 802, multiple substrate mounting sections PASS are stacked vertically to facilitate the transfer of the substrate W between the indexer robot 831 and the main robot 844.

[0134] In the substrate processing apparatus 800, the indexer robot 831 takes an unprocessed substrate W from one of the carriers C placed on the carrier mounting stage 810. The indexer robot 831 then places the unprocessed substrate W onto one of the substrate mounting sections PASS. Furthermore, the indexer robot 831 receives the processed substrate W placed on one of the substrate mounting sections PASS and places it into an empty carrier C.

[0135] The main robot 844 receives multiple unprocessed substrates W placed on multiple substrate placement sections PASS. The main robot 844 then transports the multiple unprocessed substrates W to multiple substrate cleaning devices 1 in the cleaning sections 841 and 842. Furthermore, the main robot 844 unloads the multiple processed substrates W from the multiple substrate cleaning devices 1. Finally, the main robot 844 places the processed substrates W onto one of the multiple substrate placement sections PASS.

[0136] Each substrate cleaning device 1 in the cleaning units 841 and 842 cleans the upper surface of the substrate W that has been brought in. In each substrate cleaning device 1, the drying time of the substrate W is appropriately set by a drying judgment process. This prevents the occurrence of drying defects in the substrate W and suppresses a decrease in the throughput of substrate processing.

[0137] 8. Other Embodiments (a) The state detection device 70 according to the above embodiment comprises one head portion 74, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The state detection device 70 may include a plurality of head portions 74.

[0138] Figure 12 is a schematic plan view showing an example of the configuration of a state detection device 70 according to another embodiment. Figure 13 is a schematic side view of the state detection device 70 of Figure 12. As shown in Figures 12 and 13, the state detection device 70 of this example includes four head units 74, a holding member 77, and a head drive unit 78. The holding member 77 integrally holds the four head units 74. The head drive unit 78 moves the four head units 74 between a head standby position p71 and a detection position p72 by moving the holding member 77.

[0139] In Figures 12 and 13, four head units 74 are assumed to be positioned at the detection position p72. During the drying process of the substrate W, it is thought that the drying area expands from the center of the substrate W toward the outer edge as gas is blown onto the center of the substrate W. Therefore, when using multiple head units 74, it is preferable to arrange them such that, for example, they are aligned radially from the center of the substrate W in a plan view. This makes it possible to accurately grasp the drying state of each of the multiple parts of the upper surface of the substrate W by detecting a first light-receiving amount and a second light-receiving amount for each of the multiple head units 74.

[0140] (b) The state detection device 70 according to the above embodiment includes a fiber sensor for emitting light onto the upper surface of the substrate W and receiving light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0141] The state detection device 70 may have a configuration in which the light source 75a and the light receiving element 76a shown in Figure 4 are housed in a common housing (for example, the housing of the head unit 74). In this case, the state detection device 70 does not have the optical fibers 75b and 76b shown in Figure 4.

[0142] (c) In the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 according to the above embodiment, the drying determination process is performed in response to an execution command of a drying determination program input by the user, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0143] The drying determination process may be performed each time an untreated substrate W is brought into the substrate cleaning device 1, that is, for each individual substrate W. In this case, it becomes unnecessary to store the drying time in the storage device 940. In other words, the drying process is terminated when it is determined that the upper surface of the substrate W is dry during the drying process.

[0144] Alternatively, the drying determination process may be performed when multiple types of substrates W are processed consecutively, in accordance with the change in the type of substrate W being processed. Alternatively, the drying determination process may be performed each time a predetermined number of substrates W are processed, or each time a predetermined amount of time has elapsed.

[0145] (d) In the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 according to the above embodiment, in order to determine whether the upper surface of the substrate W is dry, it is determined whether the second amount of light received has remained within an acceptable range for a period of time beyond the determination time, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0146] As described above, the second light-receiving quantity is the value of multiple light-receiving signals acquired at a constant sampling period by the detection operation of the state detection device 70. Therefore, the memory device 940 may store the number of determinations instead of the determination time. The number of determinations indicates the number of times the value of the light-receiving signal, which is the second light-receiving quantity, has been determined to be within an acceptable range for several consecutive times. In this case, the determination unit 913 may determine that the upper surface of the substrate W is dry if the number of times the value of the second light-receiving quantity has been determined to be within an acceptable range for several consecutive times exceeds the number of determinations.

[0147] Furthermore, if the number of judgments is used instead of the judgment time, a counter is required to count the judgments that the second light-receiving value is within the acceptable range, instead of the first timer of the timing unit 914.

[0148] Alternatively, the values ​​of multiple received light signals acquired at a constant sampling period by the detection operation of the state detection device 70 may be differentiated to determine that the top surface of the substrate W is dry. In this case, the inflection point is determined by performing two differentiation operations on the values ​​of multiple received light signals during the "interference period" described above. The top surface of the substrate W may be determined to be dry if the number of times the value obtained by the two differentiation operations is determined to be within the acceptable range of values ​​near 0 exceeds the number of determinations.

[0149] (e) In the above embodiment, the amount of light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W is considered as a physical quantity that changes depending on the amount of liquid present on the upper surface of the substrate W. A configuration is adopted in which light is emitted onto the upper surface of the substrate W and the amount of reflected light from the substrate W is detected. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0150] Physical quantities that change depending on the amount of liquid present on the upper surface of the substrate W include not only the amount of light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W, but also the temperature of the substrate W. Therefore, in the substrate cleaning apparatus 1, the state detection device 70 may have a configuration that detects the temperature of the upper or lower surface of the substrate W (for example, a non-contact temperature sensor) instead of the amount of light reflected from the upper surface of the substrate W. In this case, a drying determination process may be performed based on the temperature detected by the state detection device 70.

[0151] (f) In the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 according to the above embodiment, the rotation speed of the substrate W may be adjusted to be temporarily higher than the rotation speed of the substrate W during the drying process, from the end of the drying process until the rotation of the substrate W is stopped.

[0152] 9. Correspondence between each part of the embodiment and each component of the claim The following describes examples of the correspondence between each component of the claim and each component of the embodiment. Various other elements having the configuration or function described in the claim can also be used as each component of the claim.

[0153] In the above embodiment, the substrate cleaning device 1 and the substrate processing device 800 are examples of substrate processing devices, the state detection device 70 and the acquisition unit 912 are examples of state detection units, the determination unit 913 is an example of a determination unit, the first light-receiving amount is an example of a first physical quantity, and the second light-receiving amount is an example of a second physical quantity.

[0154] Furthermore, the substrate holding device 10 is an example of a substrate holding unit, the rinsing device 50 is an example of a rinsing liquid supply unit, the control device 900 is an example of a control unit, the determination time is an example of a predetermined time, the number of determinations is an example of a predetermined number of times, the timing unit 914 is an example of a timing unit, the storage device 940 is an example of a storage unit, the light emitting unit 75 is an example of a light emitting unit, the light receiving unit 76 is an example of a light receiving unit, and the received signal is an example of information corresponding to the amount of light received.

[0155] Furthermore, the head section 74 is an example of a head section, the detection position p72 is an example of a detection position, the head standby position p71 is an example of a head standby position, the head drive unit 71, the rotating shaft 72 and the arm 73 are examples of head movement units, the gas supply device 60 is an example of a gas supply unit, the gas supply position p62 is an example of a gas supply position, the gas nozzle standby position p61 is an example of a gas nozzle standby position, and the nozzle drive unit 61, the rotating shaft 62 and the arm 63 are examples of nozzle movement units.

[0156] 10. Summary of Embodiments (Paragraph 1) The substrate processing apparatus relating to Paragraph 1 is: A substrate processing apparatus that performs a rinsing process by supplying a rinsing liquid to the upper surface of a substrate and a drying process by drying the substrate after the rinsing process, A state detection unit for detecting a physical quantity representing the state of the upper surface of the substrate, The system includes a determination unit that determines whether or not the upper surface of the substrate is dry, The state detection unit detects the physical quantity of the substrate before the rinsing process as a first physical quantity, and detects the physical quantity of the substrate after the rinsing process as a second physical quantity. The determination unit determines whether or not the upper surface of the substrate is dry based on the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity.

[0157] In this substrate processing apparatus, the first physical quantity can be considered as the physical quantity corresponding to a dried substrate. By detecting the second physical quantity during the substrate drying process and comparing the second physical quantity with the first physical quantity, it becomes possible to make an appropriate determination, depending on the substrate, whether the top surface of the substrate is dry or not. Furthermore, it becomes possible to make an appropriate determination, depending on the environment surrounding the substrate (temperature or humidity, etc.), whether the top surface of the substrate is dry or not. Therefore, the time required for substrate drying can be appropriately determined. As a result, it becomes possible to appropriately adjust the substrate drying time.

[0158] (Paragraph 2) In the substrate processing apparatus relating to Paragraph 1, The substrate processing apparatus is A substrate holding unit that holds the substrate and rotates the held substrate around a vertical axis, A rinse liquid supply unit that supplies rinse liquid to the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, The system further comprises a control unit that controls the substrate holding unit and the rinse liquid supply unit, The control unit, When the state detection unit detects the first physical quantity and during the drying process, the substrate holding unit and the rinse liquid supply unit are controlled so that the substrate held by the substrate holding unit does not rotate and rinse liquid is not supplied to the substrate. During the rinsing process, the substrate holding unit and the rinsing liquid supply unit are controlled so that the substrate held by the substrate holding unit rotates and rinsing liquid is supplied to the substrate. The state detection unit may detect the second physical quantity during the drying process.

[0159] In this case, before the rinsing process, the physical quantity of the upper surface of the rotating substrate that is free of rinsing fluid is detected as the first physical quantity. Then, during the rinsing process, rinsing fluid is supplied to the upper surface of the rotating substrate, and the upper surface of the substrate is cleaned. Subsequently, during the drying process, the substrate rotates without being supplied with rinsing fluid. During the drying process, the physical quantity of the upper surface of the rotating substrate is detected as the second physical quantity.

[0160] Thus, the substrate is rotating both when the first physical quantity is detected and when the second physical quantity is detected. In other words, the substrate is maintained in a common operating state when the first and second physical quantities are detected. Therefore, errors caused by the substrate's operating state are less likely to occur in determining whether or not the substrate is dry. Consequently, the time required for the substrate to dry can be determined more accurately.

[0161] (Paragraph 3) In the substrate processing apparatus relating to Paragraph 2, The state detection unit continuously or intermittently detects the second physical quantity on the time axis from the time the drying process is started, The determination unit, After the state detection unit detects the first physical quantity, and before the state detection unit detects the second physical quantity, a predetermined tolerance range including the first physical quantity is determined. The upper surface of the substrate may be determined to be dry if the second physical quantity, which is detected continuously or intermittently on the time axis, remains within the allowable range for a predetermined period of time. In this case, the time required for the substrate to dry can be determined more appropriately.

[0162] (Article 4) In a substrate processing apparatus relating to Article 2 or Article 3, The control unit may, in response to the determination unit determining that the upper surface of the substrate is dry during the drying process, control the substrate holding unit to stop the rotation of the substrate and terminate the drying process. In this case, the operating time for drying the substrate is appropriately determined. Therefore, substrate drying defects and a decrease in substrate processing throughput are suppressed.

[0163] (Article 5) In a substrate processing apparatus relating to any one of paragraphs 2 to 4, The substrate processing apparatus is The timing unit, It also includes a memory unit, The determination unit, The timing unit is controlled to measure the time from when the drying process is started on one substrate until it is determined that the upper surface of the one substrate is dry. The measured time may be stored in the storage unit as the drying time required for the drying process of the next substrate.

[0164] In this case, when multiple substrates, including one substrate and the next, are processed consecutively, the drying time for the remaining substrates can be determined based on the drying time stored in the memory during the processing of the first substrate. Therefore, it becomes unnecessary to detect the first and second physical quantities for all of the multiple substrates.

[0165] (Article 6) In a substrate processing apparatus relating to any one of paragraphs 1 to 5, The state detection unit, The upper surface of the substrate is provided with a light-emitting unit that emits light, The light receiving unit includes a light receiving unit that receives light emitted from the light emitting unit and reflected from the upper surface of the substrate, and outputs a signal indicating the amount of light received. The physical quantity may be information corresponding to the amount of light received output from the light receiving unit. In this case, it is possible to determine whether or not the substrate is dry with a simple configuration.

[0166] (Paragraph 7) In the substrate processing apparatus relating to Paragraph 6, The state detection unit, A head portion that integrally holds at least a part of the light-emitting portion and at least a part of the light-receiving portion, The head unit further includes a head movement unit that moves the head unit between a predetermined detection position and a predetermined head standby position, The detection position is above the substrate held by the substrate holding portion and, in a plan view, overlaps with the substrate held by the substrate holding portion. The head standby position is above the detection position and, in a plan view, is a position on the side of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion. The head moving unit may be configured to move the head unit in a direction inclined with respect to the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit and an axis perpendicular to the upper surface.

[0167] To detect physical quantities indicating the state of the top surface of the substrate with higher accuracy, it is preferable to position the head unit close to the top surface of the substrate, taking into account light scattering and attenuation. In other words, it is preferable to bring the height of the detection position as close as possible to the height of the top surface of the substrate.

[0168] On the other hand, during the rinsing and drying processes, cups are usually placed around the substrate to catch any rinsing liquid that splashes from the substrate. Therefore, when moving the head unit between the head standby position and the detection position, if the head unit is moved horizontally at a height close to the top surface of the substrate, the head unit may interfere with the cups.

[0169] In contrast, with the above configuration, the head unit moves in a direction inclined with respect to the upper surface of the substrate and the axis perpendicular to that upper surface (the vertical axis). Therefore, interference between the head unit and the cup can be prevented.

[0170] For example, when moving the head unit from the head standby position to the detection position, the head unit can be brought closer to the top surface of the substrate from a position diagonally above the top surface of the substrate, straddling the cup. Also, when moving the head unit from the detection position to the head standby position, the head unit can be pulled up diagonally above the substrate from a detection position close to the top surface of the substrate, straddling the cup.

[0171] Furthermore, according to the above configuration, the head standby position is located away from the substrate held by the substrate holder in a plan view. As a result, even if dust or other contaminants fall from the head unit while the head unit is in standby mode, contamination of the substrate due to these contaminants is suppressed.

[0172] (Paragraph 8) In a substrate processing apparatus relating to any one of paragraphs 2 to 5, The substrate processing apparatus is A gas supply unit supplies gas from a gas nozzle toward the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, The system further includes a nozzle moving unit that moves the gas nozzle between a predetermined gas supply position and a predetermined gas nozzle standby position. The gas supply position is above the substrate held by the substrate holding portion and, in a plan view, overlaps with the substrate held by the substrate holding portion. The gas nozzle standby position is above the gas supply position and, in a plan view, is located to the side of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion. The nozzle moving unit may be configured to move the gas nozzle in a direction inclined with respect to the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit and an axis perpendicular to the upper surface.

[0173] In this case, during the drying process, the drying of the substrate can be accelerated by positioning the gas nozzle at the gas supply position and supplying gas to the upper surface of the substrate.

[0174] To more efficiently promote the drying of the substrate, it is preferable to position the gas nozzle as close to the top surface of the substrate as possible, taking into account the spread of the gas. In other words, it is preferable to bring the height of the gas supply position as close as possible to the height of the top surface of the substrate.

[0175] On the other hand, during the rinsing and drying processes, cups are usually placed around the substrate to catch any rinsing liquid that splashes from it. Therefore, when moving the gas nozzle between the standby position and the gas supply position, if the gas nozzle is moved horizontally at a height close to the top surface of the substrate, the nozzle head may interfere with the cups.

[0176] In contrast, with the above configuration, the gas nozzle moves in a direction inclined with respect to the upper surface of the substrate and the axis perpendicular to that upper surface (the vertical axis). Therefore, interference between the gas nozzle and the cup can be prevented.

[0177] For example, when moving a gas nozzle from the standby position to the gas supply position, the gas nozzle can be brought closer to the top surface of the substrate from a position diagonally above the top surface of the substrate, straddling the cup. Also, when moving a gas nozzle from the gas supply position to the standby position, the gas nozzle can be pulled up diagonally above the substrate from a gas supply position close to the top surface of the substrate, straddling the cup.

[0178] Furthermore, according to the above configuration, the gas nozzle standby position is located away from the substrate held by the substrate holder in a plan view. As a result, even if contaminants such as dust fall from the gas nozzle while it is in standby mode, contamination of the substrate due to those contaminants is suppressed.

[0179] (Paragraph 9) The substrate processing method relating to Paragraph 9 is: A substrate processing method comprising a rinsing process in which a rinsing liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate and a drying process in which the substrate is dried after the rinsing process, The steps include: detecting a physical quantity representing the state of the upper surface of the substrate using a state detection unit; The step includes determining whether the upper surface of the substrate is dry or not, The aforementioned detection step is, The physical quantity of the substrate before the rinsing process is detected as the first physical quantity, This includes detecting the physical quantity of the substrate after the rinsing process as a second physical quantity, The determination step includes determining whether the upper surface of the substrate is dry based on the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity.

[0180] In this substrate processing method, the first physical quantity can be considered as a physical quantity corresponding to a dried substrate. By detecting the second physical quantity during the substrate drying process and comparing the second physical quantity with the first physical quantity, it becomes possible to make an appropriate determination, depending on the substrate, whether the top surface of the substrate is dry or not. Furthermore, it becomes possible to make an appropriate determination, depending on the environment surrounding the substrate (temperature, humidity, etc.), whether the top surface of the substrate is dry or not. Therefore, the time required for substrate drying can be appropriately determined. As a result, it becomes possible to appropriately adjust the substrate drying time. [Explanation of symbols]

[0181] 1... Circuit board cleaning device, 2... Housing, 2a... Front wall, 2b... Rear wall, 2c... Left wall, 2d... Right wall, 3... Loading / unloading port, 10... Circuit board holding device, 11... Circuit board holding part, 12... Rotary drive unit, 13, 42, 62, 72... Rotary shaft, 20... Cup device, 21... Cup, 22... Cup drive unit, 30... Brush device, 31... Guide rail, 32... Brush drive unit, 33... Support shaft, 34, 43, 63, 73... Arm, 3 5...Brush unit, 40...Spray device, 41...Spray drive unit, 44...Spray nozzle, 45...Fluid supply system, 50...Rinse device, 51...Rinse nozzle, 52...Rinse liquid supply system, 60...Gas supply device, 61...Nozzle drive unit, 64...Gas nozzle, 65...Gas supply system, 70...State detection device, 71...Head drive unit, 74...Head unit, 74a...Light-emitting and receiving surface, 75...Light-emitting unit, 75a...Light source, 75 b, 76b…Optical fiber, 76…Light receiving unit, 76a…Light receiving element, 77…Holding member, 78…Head drive unit, 80…Opening / closing device, 81…Shutter, 82…Shutter drive unit, 90…Operation unit, 800…Substrate processing unit, 801…Indexer block, 802…Processing block, 810…Carrier mounting platform, 820…Transportation unit, 831…Indexer robot, 841, 842…Cleaning unit, 843…Transportation unit, 844 ...Main robot, 832, 900...Control device, 910...CPU, 911...Motion control unit, 912...Acquisition unit, 913...Determination unit, 914...Timekeeping unit, 920...RAM, 930...ROM, 940...Storage device, 950...CD-ROM, C...Carrier, LQ...Liquid, PASS...Substrate mounting unit, W...Substrate, p61...Gas nozzle standby position, p62...Gas supply position, p71...Head standby position, p72...Detection position

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus that performs a rinsing process by supplying a rinsing liquid to the upper surface of a substrate and a drying process by drying the substrate after the rinsing process, A state detection unit for detecting a physical quantity representing the state of the upper surface of the substrate, The system includes a determination unit that determines whether or not the upper surface of the substrate is dry, The state detection unit detects the physical quantity of the substrate before the rinsing process as a first physical quantity, and detects the physical quantity of the substrate after the rinsing process as a second physical quantity. The determination unit determines whether or not the upper surface of the substrate is dry based on the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity, in a substrate processing apparatus.

2. A substrate holding unit that holds the substrate and rotates the held substrate around a vertical axis, A rinse liquid supply unit that supplies rinse liquid to the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, The system further comprises a control unit that controls the substrate holding unit and the rinse liquid supply unit, The control unit, When the state detection unit detects the first physical quantity and during the drying process, the substrate holding unit and the rinse liquid supply unit are controlled so that the substrate held by the substrate holding unit does not rotate and rinse liquid is not supplied to the substrate. During the rinsing process, the substrate holding unit and the rinsing liquid supply unit are controlled so that the substrate held by the substrate holding unit rotates and rinsing liquid is supplied to the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the state detection unit detects the second physical quantity during the drying process.

3. The state detection unit continuously or intermittently detects the second physical quantity on the time axis from the time the drying process is started, The determination unit, After the state detection unit detects the first physical quantity, and before the state detection unit detects the second physical quantity, a predetermined tolerance range including the first physical quantity is determined. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein it is determined that the upper surface of the substrate is dry if the state in which the second physical quantity, which is detected continuously or intermittently on the time axis, is maintained within the allowable range continues for a predetermined time.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the control unit controls the substrate holding unit in response to the determination that the upper surface of the substrate is dry during the drying process, thereby stopping the rotation of the substrate and terminating the drying process.

5. The timing unit, It also includes a memory unit, The determination unit, The timing unit is controlled to measure the time from when the drying process is started on one substrate until it is determined that the upper surface of the one substrate is dry. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the measured time is stored in the storage unit as the drying time required for the drying process of the next substrate.

6. The state detection unit, The upper surface of the substrate is provided with a light-emitting unit that emits light, The light receiving unit includes a light receiving unit that receives light emitted from the light emitting unit and reflected from the upper surface of the substrate, and outputs a signal indicating the amount of light received. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the physical quantity is information corresponding to the amount of light received output from the light receiving unit.

7. The state detection unit, A head portion that integrally holds at least a part of the light-emitting portion and at least a part of the light-receiving portion, The head unit further includes a head movement unit that moves the head unit between a predetermined detection position and a predetermined head standby position, The detection position is above the substrate held by the substrate holding portion and, in a plan view, overlaps with the substrate held by the substrate holding portion. The head standby position is above the detection position and, in a plan view, is a position on the side of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the head moving portion is configured to move the head portion in a direction inclined with respect to the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion and an axis perpendicular to the upper surface.

8. A gas supply unit supplies gas from a gas nozzle toward the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, The system further includes a nozzle moving unit that moves the gas nozzle between a predetermined gas supply position and a predetermined gas nozzle standby position. The gas supply position is above the substrate held by the substrate holding portion and, in a plan view, overlaps with the substrate held by the substrate holding portion. The gas nozzle standby position is above the gas supply position and, in a plan view, is located to the side of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the nozzle moving part is configured to move the gas nozzle in a direction inclined with respect to the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding part and an axis perpendicular to the upper surface.

9. A substrate processing method comprising a rinsing process in which a rinsing liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate and a drying process in which the substrate is dried after the rinsing process, The steps include: detecting a physical quantity representing the state of the upper surface of the substrate using a state detection unit; The step includes determining whether the upper surface of the substrate is dry or not, The aforementioned detection step is, The physical quantity of the substrate before the rinsing process is detected as the first physical quantity, This includes detecting the physical quantity of the substrate after the rinsing process as a second physical quantity, A substrate processing method comprising the step of determining whether or not the upper surface of the substrate is dry based on the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity.

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