Heat treatment apparatus and heat treatment method

Abstract

To provide a thermal treatment apparatus and a thermal treatment method that are capable of more quickly and easily detecting whether a temperature distribution on a thermal treatment plate having a plurality of regions is uniform.SOLUTION: A thermal treatment apparatus includes a thermal treatment plate 10 having a treatment surface on which a substrate is placed, a plurality of thermal treatment units He provided so as to correspond to a plurality of regions of the treatment surface of the thermal treatment plate 10, a plurality of temperature sensors Se provided so as to correspond to the plurality of regions respectively, a conversion unit 430 that converts output values of the plurality of temperature sensors Se into detected temperature values, a control unit 410 that controls the plurality of thermal treatment units He so that the plurality of detected temperature values corresponding to the plurality of temperature sensors Se matches a target temperature value, and a determination unit 470 for determining, whether an actual temperature of some of a plurality of regions is different from an actual temperature of the other regions, on the basis of, a manner of change in the plurality of detected temperature values from an end time of the thermal treatment by the plurality of thermal treatment units He.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus and a heat treatment method. [Background technology]

[0002] Heat treatment apparatuses are used to perform heat treatment on substrates such as semiconductor substrates (semiconductor wafers). For example, the heat treatment apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a heat treatment plate on which the substrate is placed. The heat treatment plate includes a temperature sensor and a heater. The heater is controlled based on a detection signal from the temperature sensor, thereby controlling the temperature of the heat treatment plate to a set temperature. Patent Document 2 describes a substrate heat treatment apparatus having a heating plate divided into multiple regions. In this substrate heat treatment apparatus, temperature control is performed individually for each region of the heating plate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-181948 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2013-162097 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When the temperature of the multiple regions of the heat treatment plate is controlled individually, a heater and a temperature sensor are provided in each region. In this case, the heater is controlled in each region based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor. Usually, the relationship between the temperature detected by the temperature sensor and the actual temperature of the heat treatment plate differs for each region. Therefore, when the heat treatment apparatus is installed, the actual temperature of each region on the upper surface of the heat treatment plate is measured using a separately prepared temperature measurement substrate, and the detected temperature of the temperature sensor in each region is corrected so that the temperature of the multiple regions of the heat treatment plate becomes uniform. Here, the temperature measurement substrate is a substrate equipped with multiple temperature sensors.

[0005] However, due to deterioration of the temperature sensors in each region over time or changes in the wiring resistance of the sensors during maintenance, the relationship between the temperature detected by the temperature sensors and the temperature of the heat-treating plate may change in some regions. In such cases, the temperature of the entire upper surface of the heat-treating plate may not be uniform. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically check whether the temperature of the heat-treating plate is uniform.

[0006] Generally, the temperature of a plurality of regions of the heat-treating plate is measured periodically using a temperature measuring substrate, but the operation of measuring the temperature of the heat-treating plate using a temperature measuring substrate is complicated and time-consuming.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a heat treatment apparatus and a heat treatment method that are capable of quickly and easily detecting whether or not the temperature distribution on a heat treatment plate having a plurality of regions is uniform. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] (1) A heat treatment apparatus includes a heat treatment plate having a treatment surface on which a substrate is placed, a plurality of heat treatment sections provided corresponding to a plurality of regions of the treatment surface of the heat treatment plate, a plurality of temperature sensors provided corresponding to the plurality of regions, a conversion section for converting output values ​​of the plurality of temperature sensors into detected temperature values, a control section for controlling the plurality of heat treatment sections so that the detected temperature values ​​corresponding to the plurality of temperature sensors coincide with a target temperature value, and a determination section for determining whether an actual temperature of some of the plurality of regions is different from an actual temperature of the other regions based on a change in the detected temperature values ​​from the end of heat treatment by the plurality of heat treatment sections. The manner of change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​includes a gradient of change in the plurality of detected temperature values, and the determination unit determines whether or not an actual temperature in a portion of the plurality of regions is different from an actual temperature in another region by comparing the gradients of the plurality of detected temperature values. do.

[0009] In this heat treatment apparatus, the relationship between the output values ​​of the multiple temperature sensors and the respective detected temperature values ​​is adjusted in advance in the conversion unit so that the temperatures of the multiple regions of the heat treatment plate are the same. In this state, the multiple heat treatment units are controlled so that the multiple detected temperature values ​​match the target temperature value during heat treatment. After the adjustment of the conversion unit, the relationship between the output value of any of the temperature sensors and the detected temperature value may change due to a change in the characteristics or wiring resistance of any of the temperature sensors. In this case, even if the detected temperature values ​​corresponding to the multiple regions are the same, the actual temperature of some regions will be different from the actual temperature of other regions. Since heat moves from a part having a high temperature to a part having a low temperature, when the heat treatment is completed, heat moves between some regions and other regions. Therefore, the manner of change of the detected temperature value corresponding to some regions from the end of the heat treatment will be different from the manner of change of the detected temperature value of other regions. Thereby, it is detected that the actual temperature of some regions is different from the actual temperature of other regions. As a result, it is possible to easily detect whether the temperature distribution of the heat treatment plate is uniform in a short time.

[0011] Also It is possible to determine, in a simple manner, whether the actual temperature of some of the multiple regions is different from the actual temperatures of the other regions, thereby preventing the process of the determination unit from becoming complicated.

[0012] ( 2 ) The heat treatment apparatus includes a heat treatment plate having a treatment surface on which a substrate is placed, a plurality of heat treatment sections provided corresponding to a plurality of regions of the treatment surface of the heat treatment plate, a plurality of temperature sensors provided corresponding to the plurality of regions, a conversion section for converting output values ​​of the plurality of temperature sensors into detected temperature values, a control section for controlling the plurality of heat treatment sections so that the plurality of detected temperature values ​​corresponding to the plurality of temperature sensors coincide with a target temperature value, and a determination section for determining whether an actual temperature of some of the plurality of regions differs from an actual temperature of other regions based on a change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​from the end of heat treatment by the plurality of heat treatment sections, The change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​includes a plurality of detected temperature values ​​at a time when a predetermined time has elapsed since the end of the heat treatment, and the determination unit determines whether or not the actual temperature of some of the plurality of regions is different from the actual temperature of the other regions by comparing the plurality of detected temperature values ​​at the time when the predetermined time has elapsed. do .

[0013] In this case, it is possible to determine, by a simple method, whether the actual temperature of some of the multiple regions is different from the actual temperature of the other regions, thereby preventing the process of the determination unit from becoming complicated.

[0014] ( 3 ) The heat treatment apparatus includes a heat treatment plate having a treatment surface on which a substrate is placed, a plurality of heat treatment sections provided corresponding to a plurality of regions of the treatment surface of the heat treatment plate, a plurality of temperature sensors provided corresponding to the plurality of regions, a conversion section for converting output values ​​of the plurality of temperature sensors into detected temperature values, a control section for controlling the plurality of heat treatment sections so that the plurality of detected temperature values ​​corresponding to the plurality of temperature sensors coincide with a target temperature value, and a determination section for determining whether an actual temperature of some of the plurality of regions differs from an actual temperature of other regions based on a change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​from the end of heat treatment by the plurality of heat treatment sections, The manner of change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​includes a shape of change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​from the end of the heat treatment, and the determining unit determines whether or not the actual temperature of some of the plurality of regions is different from the actual temperature of the other regions by comparing the shapes of change in the plurality of detected temperature values. do .

[0015] In this case, it is possible to determine, by a simple method, whether the actual temperature of some of the multiple regions is different from the actual temperature of the other regions, thereby preventing the process of the determination unit from becoming complicated.

[0016] ( 4 ) When the determination unit determines that the actual temperature of a certain area is different from the actual temperatures of other areas, the conversion unit may further include a correction unit that corrects the relationship between the output value of the temperature sensor corresponding to the certain area and the detected temperature value based on the manner of change in the detected temperature value corresponding to the certain area so that the manner of change in the detected temperature value corresponding to the certain area becomes equal to the manner of change in the detected temperature value corresponding to the other areas.

[0017] In this case, it is possible to automatically detect whether the temperature distribution on the heat treatment plate is uniform and correct the temperature sensor, thereby reducing the time required for maintenance of the heat treatment device with a simple configuration.

[0018] ( 5 ) A notification unit that issues a warning when the determination unit determines that the actual temperature of a certain area is different from the actual temperature of the other areas.

[0019] In this case, the user can easily recognize that the temperature distribution of the heat treatment plate is not uniform.

[0020] ( 6 The end of the heat treatment by the plurality of heat treatment sections and the judgment by the judgment section may be performed at regular intervals.

[0021] In this case, a periodic check is automatically performed to see whether the temperature distribution of the heat treatment plate is uniform.

[0022] ( 7 The end of the heat treatment by the plurality of heat processing sections and the judgment by the judgment section may be performed at the end of the heat treatment of the substrate.

[0023] In this case, no additional time is required to determine the uniformity of the temperature distribution of the thermal treatment plate, thereby reducing downtime in the thermal treatment of substrates.

[0024] ( 8 The end of the heat treatment by the plurality of heat processing sections and the judgment by the judgment section may be performed during a period in which the heat treatment apparatus is not performing heat treatment on the substrate.

[0025] In this case, the uniformity of the temperature distribution of the heat-treating plate is determined during a period when the heat-treating apparatus is not performing heat treatment on substrates, thereby reducing downtime in the heat treatment of substrates.

[0026] ( 9 The heat treatment method is a heat treatment method for performing heat treatment on a substrate using a heat treatment device, the heat treatment device including a heat treatment plate having a treatment surface on which the substrate is placed, a plurality of heat treatment sections provided corresponding to a plurality of regions on the treatment surface of the heat treatment plate and performing heat treatment on the corresponding regions, and a plurality of temperature sensors provided corresponding to the plurality of regions, the heat treatment method including a step of converting output values ​​of the plurality of temperature sensors into detected temperature values, a step of controlling the plurality of heat treatment sections so that the detected temperature values ​​corresponding to the plurality of temperature sensors coincide with a target temperature value, and a step of determining whether or not an actual temperature of some of the plurality of regions is different from an actual temperature of other regions based on a change in the detected temperature values ​​from the end of the heat treatment by the plurality of heat treatment sections. The manner of change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​includes a gradient of change in the plurality of detected temperature values, and the determining step includes determining whether or not an actual temperature in a portion of the plurality of regions is different from an actual temperature in another region by comparing the gradients of the plurality of detected temperature values. nothing. (10) A heat treatment method is a heat treatment method for performing heat treatment on a substrate using a heat treatment device, the heat treatment device comprising a heat treatment plate having a treatment surface on which the substrate is placed, a plurality of heat treatment sections provided corresponding to a plurality of regions of the treatment surface of the heat treatment plate and performing heat treatment on the corresponding regions, and a plurality of temperature sensors provided corresponding to the plurality of regions, the heat treatment method including the steps of: converting output values ​​of the plurality of temperature sensors into detected temperature values; controlling the plurality of heat treatment sections so that the detected temperature values ​​corresponding to the plurality of temperature sensors match a target temperature value; and determining whether an actual temperature of some of the plurality of regions differs from an actual temperature of other regions based on a change in the detected temperature values ​​from the end of the heat treatment by the plurality of heat treatment sections, the change in the detected temperature values ​​including a plurality of detected temperature values ​​at a predetermined time point from the end of the heat treatment, and the determining step including determining whether an actual temperature of some of the plurality of regions differs from an actual temperature of other regions by comparing the detected temperature values ​​at the predetermined time point. (11) A heat treatment method is a heat treatment method for performing heat treatment on a substrate using a heat treatment device, the heat treatment device comprising a heat treatment plate having a treatment surface on which the substrate is placed, a plurality of heat treatment sections provided corresponding to a plurality of regions of the treatment surface of the heat treatment plate and performing heat treatment on the corresponding regions, and a plurality of temperature sensors provided corresponding to the plurality of regions, the heat treatment method including the steps of: converting output values ​​of the plurality of temperature sensors into detected temperature values; controlling the plurality of heat treatment sections so that the plurality of detected temperature values ​​corresponding to the plurality of temperature sensors match a target temperature value; and determining whether or not the actual temperature of some of the plurality of regions differs from the actual temperature of the other regions based on a change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​from the end of the heat treatment by the plurality of heat treatment sections, the change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​including a shape of the change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​from the end of the heat treatment, and the determining step including determining whether or not the actual temperature of some of the plurality of regions differs from the actual temperature of the other regions by comparing the shapes of the change in the plurality of detected temperature values.

[0027] According to this heat treatment method, it is possible to easily detect in a short time whether the temperature distribution of the heat treatment plate is uniform or not. Effect of the Invention

[0028] According to the present invention, it is possible to quickly and easily detect whether the temperature distribution on a heat treatment plate having a plurality of regions is uniform or not. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic side view showing a configuration of a heat treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the heat treatment plate of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a control unit in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 11 is a graph showing an example of changes over time in detected temperature values ​​from the time when heaters in a plurality of regions are turned off. [Diagram 5] 11 is a graph showing an example of changes over time in detected temperature values ​​from the time when heaters in a plurality of regions are turned off. [Figure 6] 11 is a graph showing an example of changes over time in detected temperature values ​​from the time when heaters in a plurality of regions are turned off. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a temperature uniformity determination operation of the control unit in FIG. 3. [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a temperature uniformity determination operation of the control unit in FIG. 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] A heat treatment apparatus and a heat treatment method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the substrate refers to a semiconductor substrate (semiconductor wafer), a substrate for FPD (Flat Panel Display) such as a liquid crystal display device or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display device, 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, or a substrate for a solar cell. In the following description, a heat treatment apparatus for performing a heat treatment on a substrate will be described as an example of a heat treatment apparatus.

[0031] (1) Configuration of heat treatment equipment Fig. 1 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of a heat treatment apparatus according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of the heat treatment plate of Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the heat treatment apparatus 100 includes a heat treatment plate 10, a temperature sensor group 20, a heater group 30, a control unit 40, and a display unit 50. In this embodiment, the heat treatment apparatus 100 is a heating apparatus, and the heat treatment plate 10 is a heating plate.

[0032] The heat-treating plate 10 is a metal heat transfer plate having a flat cylindrical shape and a flat upper surface. The upper surface of the heat-treating plate 10 is configured so that a substrate W to be subjected to heat treatment can be placed thereon. The upper surface of the heat-treating plate 10 is provided with a plurality of proximity balls and the like for supporting the lower surface of the substrate W. In this embodiment, the upper surface of the heat-treating plate 10 is the processing surface. In FIG. 1, the substrate W placed on the heat-treating plate 10 is indicated by a dashed line.

[0033] A temperature sensor group 20 and a heater group 30 are provided within the heat treatment plate 10. The temperature sensor group 20 includes a plurality of temperature sensors Se shown in Fig. 2. The heater group 30 includes a plurality of heaters He shown in Fig. 2. The heaters He are, for example, composed of mica heaters or Peltier elements.

[0034] The control unit 40 controls the heater group 30 based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor group 20. As a result, the temperature of the processing surface of the heat-treating plate 10 is maintained at a preset temperature (hereinafter referred to as a target temperature value). In this state, the heat treatment is performed on the substrate W. The control unit 40 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a storage device. The display unit 50 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display device or an organic electroluminescence display device, and is used to display various images, etc.

[0035] 2, the heat treatment plate 10 is divided into a number of regions R1 to R6 in a plan view. Region R1 is arranged in a circular shape in the center of the heat treatment plate 10. Region R2 is arranged in an annular shape surrounding region R1. Regions R3 to R6 are each arranged in a partial annular shape surrounding region R2.

[0036] A plurality of temperature sensors Se and heaters He are provided in each of the plurality of regions R1 to R6. The plurality of temperature sensors Se provided in the plurality of regions R1 to R6 constitute a temperature sensor group 20 in Fig. 1. The plurality of heaters He provided in the plurality of regions R1 to R6 constitute a heater group 30 in Fig. 1.

[0037] In this embodiment, the heaters He are controlled so that the temperature of the processing surface of the heat-treating plate 10 becomes equal to a target temperature value. Hereinafter, the actual temperature of the processing surface of the heat-treating plate 10 is referred to as the actual temperature.

[0038] The output values ​​of the temperature sensors Se in the regions R1 to R6 are converted into temperature values. The output value of each temperature sensor Se is, for example, a voltage value. The relationship between the output value of each temperature sensor Se and the temperature value is known. The output value of each temperature sensor Se may or may not be proportional to the temperature value. The temperature value of each region obtained by a temperature conversion unit 430 (see FIG. 3), which will be described later, is called a detected temperature value. In this embodiment, the average value of multiple temperature values ​​corresponding to the output values ​​of the multiple temperature sensors Se in each region R1 to R6 is used as the detected temperature value of that region R1 to R6.

[0039] In each of the regions R1-R6 of the heat-treating plate 10, the actual temperature of the processing surface of the heat-treating plate 10 is not necessarily equal to the temperature of the portion of the heat-treating plate 10 where the temperature sensor Se is arranged. Even if the actual temperatures of the processing surfaces of the regions R1-R6 of the heat-treating plate 10 are the same, the temperatures of the portions of the heat-treating plate 10 where the temperature sensors Se are arranged are not necessarily the same. Therefore, even if the actual temperatures of the processing surfaces of the regions R1-R6 of the heat-treating plate 10 are the same, the output values ​​of the temperature sensors Se of the regions R1-R6 may differ from each other. In other words, even if the output values ​​of the temperature sensors Se of the regions R1-R6 of the heat-treating plate 10 are the same, the actual temperatures of the processing surfaces of the regions R1-R6 of the heat-treating plate 10 are not necessarily the same.

[0040] Therefore, when converting the output value of each temperature sensor Se into a detected temperature value, the relationship between the output value of each temperature sensor Se and the detected temperature value is adjusted for each temperature sensor Se. For example, when the output value of the temperature sensor Se is proportional to the temperature value, the conversion formula for converting the output value Vs [mV] of the temperature sensor Se into the detected temperature value Td [°C] is Td=kVs+OF, where k is a conversion coefficient and OF is an offset value.

[0041] As described above, even if the actual temperatures of the processing surface of the regions R1-R6 are the same, the output values ​​of the temperature sensors Se in the regions R1-R6 may differ. In such a case, the offset values ​​OF for converting the output values ​​of the temperature sensors Se into detected temperature values ​​are adjusted during the manufacture or installation of the heat treatment apparatus 100 so that the detected temperature values ​​of the regions R1-R6 are the same when the actual temperatures of the processing surface of the regions R1-R6 of the heat treatment plate 10 are the same. As a result, when the actual temperature of the processing surface of the heat treatment plate 10 is uniform, the detected temperature values ​​corresponding to the regions R1-R6 are the same.

[0042] However, the relationship between the output value of the temperature sensor Se in each region and the detected temperature value may change due to deterioration of the temperature sensor Se over time or changes in the wiring resistance of the temperature sensor Se during maintenance. In such a case, even if the heaters He are controlled so that the detected temperatures in the regions R1 to R6 are equal, The actual temperature of the processing surface of some of the regions R1 to R6 may differ from the actual temperature of the processing surface of the other regions. In this case, the actual temperature of the processing surface of the heat-treating plate 10 becomes non-uniform. In this embodiment, as described later, it is possible to perform a temperature uniformity determination operation for determining whether the actual temperature of the processing surface of the heat-treating plate 10 is uniform.

[0043] (2) Functional Configuration of the Control Unit 40 Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of control unit 40 in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 3, control unit 40 includes a heater control unit 410, a judgment start command unit 420, a temperature conversion unit 430, a detected temperature value acquisition unit 440, and a temperature change storage unit 450. Control unit 40 also includes a temperature change acquisition unit 460, a judgment unit 470, a display control unit 480, a correction information calculation unit 490, and a correction unit 500.

[0044] In this embodiment, each component (410 to 500) of the control unit 40 is stored in a ROM or a storage device. It is realized by executing a computer program such as a uniformity determination program. Some or all of the components (410 to 500) of the control unit 40 may be configured by hardware such as an electronic circuit.

[0045] The heater control unit 410 is provided with a target temperature value representing the processing temperature of the substrate W. The heater control unit 410 controls the temperature of the substrate W on the heat-treating plate 10 by controlling the current supplied to the heaters He.

[0046] The temperature conversion unit 430 holds the relationship between the output values ​​of the temperature sensors Se in the regions R1 to R6 and the detected temperature values ​​in the form of a table or as a function. The temperature conversion unit 430 converts the output values ​​of the temperature sensors Se in the regions R1 to R6 into detected temperature values ​​based on the relationship between the output values ​​of the temperature sensors Se in the regions R1 to R6 and the detected temperature values. In this embodiment, as described above, when the heat treatment apparatus 100 is manufactured or installed, the offset value in the temperature conversion unit 430 for each temperature sensor Se is adjusted so that the detected temperature values ​​in the regions R1 to R6 are the same when the actual temperatures of the treatment surface of the regions R1 to R6 of the heat treatment plate 10 are the same.

[0047] The detected temperature value acquiring unit 440 acquires the detected temperature values ​​of the multiple regions R1 to R6 obtained by the temperature conversion unit 430. The heater control unit 410 controls the currents supplied to the multiple heaters He provided in the multiple regions R1 to R6 so that the detected temperature values ​​of the multiple regions R1 to R6 acquired by the detected temperature value acquiring unit 440 during heat treatment coincide with the target temperature values.

[0048] The determination start command unit 420 commands the heater control unit 410 to start a temperature uniformity determination operation for determining the temperature uniformity based on a user's operation or an external command signal. When the heater control unit 410 is commanded to start the temperature uniformity determination operation, the heater control unit 410 turns off the heaters He in the multiple regions R1 to R6. That is, the heater control unit 410 stops or reduces the supply of current to the heaters He in the multiple regions R1 to R6. This causes the detected temperature values ​​in the multiple regions R1 to R6 acquired by the detected temperature value acquisition unit 440 to decrease.

[0049] When the heaters He in the regions R1 to R6 are turned off, if the actual temperatures of the regions R1 to R6 of the heat-treating plate 10 are equal, the detected temperature values ​​of the regions R1 to R6 decrease at the same rate. On the other hand, if the actual temperature of some regions is higher than the actual temperature of other regions, heat moves from some regions to other regions. As a result, the actual temperature of some regions decreases differently from the actual temperature of other regions. Specifically, the actual temperature of some regions decreases at a higher rate than the actual temperature of other regions. In this case, the detected temperature of some regions decreases at a higher rate than the detected temperature of other regions. Alternatively, the detected temperature of some regions decreases in a different manner from the detected temperature of other regions. Details will be described later.

[0050] The temperature change storage unit 450 stores the changes over time of the detected temperature values ​​of the multiple regions R1 to R6 acquired by the detected temperature value acquisition unit 440. The temperature change acquisition unit 460 acquires the changes over time of the detected temperature values ​​of the multiple regions R1 to R6 stored in the temperature change storage unit 450 during the temperature uniformity determination operation.

[0051] The determination unit 470 determines whether the actual temperatures of some of the multiple regions R1 to R6 differ from the actual temperatures of the other regions, based on whether the manner of change in the detected temperature value of some of the regions acquired by the temperature change acquisition unit 460 differs from the manner of change in the detected temperature value of the other regions. In this embodiment, the manner of change includes the gradient of the change in the detected temperature value of the multiple regions R1 to R6, the detected temperature values ​​of the multiple regions R1 to R6 at a time point when a predetermined time has elapsed since the heater He was turned off, or the shape of the change in the detected temperature value of the multiple regions R1 to R6 from the time point when the heater He was turned off.

[0052] For example, when the manner of change is the gradient of the change in the detected temperature value of the multiple regions R1 to R6, the determination unit 470 determines whether or not the actual temperature of some of the multiple regions R1 to R6 is different from the actual temperature of the other regions by comparing the gradients of the multiple detected temperature values. In this case, the determination unit 470 determines whether or not the gradient of the decrease in the detected temperature value of each region from the time when the heater He is turned off is within a first allowable range set in advance. When the gradient of the decrease in the detected temperature value of the partial region is not within the first allowable range, the determination unit 470 determines that the actual temperature of the partial region is different from the actual temperature of the other regions. Alternatively, the determination unit 470 calculates, for example, the sum of the differences between the gradient of the decrease in the detected temperature value of each region from the time when the heater He is turned off and the gradient of the decrease in the detected temperature value of the other multiple regions. When the sum of the gradient differences regarding the partial region is greater than a first determination threshold value, the determination unit 470 determines that the actual temperature of the partial region is different from the actual temperature of the other regions.

[0053] Also, when the mode of change is the detected temperature values ​​of the multiple regions R1 to R6 at the time when a predetermined time has elapsed since the heater He was turned off, the determination unit 470 determines whether or not the actual temperature of some of the multiple regions R1 to R6 is different from the actual temperature of the other regions by comparing the multiple detected temperature values ​​at the time when the predetermined time has elapsed from the time when the heater He was turned off. In this case, the determination unit 470 determines, for example, whether or not the detected temperature value of each region at the time when a predetermined time has elapsed from the time when the heater He was turned off is within a second allowable range. If the detected temperature value of the partial region is not within the second allowable range, the determination unit 470 determines that the actual temperature of the partial region is different from the actual temperature of the other regions. Alternatively, the determination unit 470 calculates, for example, the sum of the differences between the detected temperature value of each region at the time when a predetermined time has elapsed from the time when the heater He was turned off and the detected temperature values ​​of the other multiple regions. If the sum of the differences in the detected temperature values ​​for the partial region is greater than the second determination threshold value, the determination unit 470 determines that the actual temperature of the partial region is different from the actual temperature of the other regions.

[0054] Furthermore, when the manner of change is the shape of the change in the detected temperature value of the plurality of regions R1 to R6 from the time when the heater He was turned off, the determination unit 470 determines whether or not the actual temperature of some of the plurality of regions R1 to R6 is different from the actual temperature of the other regions by comparing the shapes of the change in the detected temperature value of the plurality of regions R1 to R6. In this case, the determination unit 470 determines, for example, whether or not the shape of the decrease in the detected temperature value of each region from the time when the heater He was turned off is within a third allowable range. When the shape of the decrease in the detected temperature value of the portion of the region is not within the third allowable range, the determination unit 470 determines that the actual temperature of the portion of the region is different from the actual temperature of the other regions. Alternatively, the determination unit 470 calculates, for example, the degree of agreement between the shape of the decrease in the detected temperature value of each region from the time when the heater He was turned off and the shape of the decrease in the detected temperature value of the other plurality of regions. When the degree of agreement between the shape of the decrease in the detected temperature value for the portion of the region is smaller than a third determination threshold value, the determination unit 470 determines that the actual temperature of the portion of the region is different from the actual temperature of the other regions.

[0055] The display control unit 480 causes the display unit 50 to display various information such as warnings. The correction information calculation unit 490 calculates correction information when the determination unit 470 determines that the actual temperature of a certain region is different from the actual temperature of the other regions. The correction information is information for correcting the relationship between the output value of the temperature sensor Se of the certain region and the detected temperature value so that the manner of change in the detected temperature value of the certain region becomes equal to the manner of change in the detected temperature value of the other regions. For example, the correction information is a correction amount of an offset value for making the gradient of the decrease in the detected temperature value of the certain region, the detected temperature value at a time point when a predetermined time has elapsed, or the shape of the decrease in the detected temperature value, match or approximate the gradient of the decrease in the detected temperature value of the certain region, the detected temperature value at a time point when a predetermined time has elapsed, or the shape of the decrease in the detected temperature value.

[0056] The correction section 500 uses the correction information calculated by the correction information calculation section 490 to correct the relationship between the output value of the temperature sensor and the detected temperature value in an area having an actual temperature different from other areas.

[0057] (3) Example of temperature uniformity assessment method 4 to 6 are graphs showing examples of changes over time in detected temperature values ​​from the time when the heater He was turned off in a number of regions R1 to R6. The vertical axis in Fig. 4 to Fig. 6 represents detected temperature values, and the horizontal axis represents time. Lines r1 to r6 show changes in detected temperature values ​​in regions R1 to R6, respectively.

[0058] 4 to 6, in the period from time t1 to t2, the detected temperature values ​​of regions R1 to R6 are maintained at 110.0. At time t2, the heaters He in regions R1 to R6 are turned off. This causes the detected temperature values ​​of regions R1 to R6 to decrease.

[0059] In the example of Figure 4, the detected temperature values ​​of the regions R1 to R6 decrease linearly at a nearly equal gradient from time t2. In this case, it is considered that there is almost no heat transfer between the regions R1 to R6. As a result, the actual temperatures of the regions R1 to R6 are determined to be nearly equal.

[0060] In the example of FIG. 5, the detected temperature values ​​of the regions R1, R2, R4 to R6 decrease linearly with almost the same gradient from time t2. On the other hand, the detected temperature value of the region R3 decreases at a higher rate than the detected temperature values ​​of the regions R1, R2, R4 to R6. As a result, the gradient of the detected temperature value of the region R3 is larger than the gradient of the detected temperature value of the regions R1, R2, R4 to R6. In addition, the detected temperature value of the region R3 at time t3, a predetermined time after the heater He is turned off, is lower than the detected temperature values ​​of the regions R1, R2, R4 to R6. Furthermore, the detected temperature value of the region R3 decreases in a curved line. In this case, it is considered that heat is transferred from the region R3 to the regions R2, R4, and R6. As a result, it is determined that the actual temperature of the region R3 is higher than the actual temperature of the regions R1, R2, R4 to R6.

[0061] In the example of FIG. 6, the detected temperature values ​​of the regions R1, R2, R4 to R6 decrease linearly with almost equal gradients from time t2. On the other hand, the detected temperature value of the region R3 decreases at a higher rate than the example of FIG. 5 compared to the detected temperature values ​​of the regions R1, R2, R4 to R6. As a result, the gradient of the detected temperature value of the region R3 is larger than the gradient of the detected temperature value of the regions R1, R2, R4 to R6. Also, the detected temperature value of the region R3 at time t3, a predetermined time after the heater He is turned off, is lower than the detected temperature values ​​of the regions R1, R2, R4 to R6. Also, the detected temperature value of the region R3 decreases in a curved line. In this case, it is considered that more heat is transferred from the region R3 to the regions R2, R4, R6 than in the case of FIG. 5. As a result, it is determined that the actual temperature of the region R3 is higher than the actual temperatures of the regions R1, R2, R4 to R6.

[0062] (4) Temperature uniformity judgment operation Figures 7 and 8 are flowcharts showing an example of the temperature uniformity determination operation of the control unit 40 in Figure 3. First, during heat treatment of the substrate W, the heater control unit 410 supplies current to the heaters He provided in the regions R1 to R6 of the heat-treating plate 10 in Figure 2 (step S1). The temperature conversion unit 430 converts the output values ​​of the temperature sensors Se provided in the regions R1 to R6 into detected temperature values.

[0063] The detected temperature value acquiring unit 440 acquires the detected temperature values ​​of the regions R1 to R6 obtained by the temperature conversion unit 430 (step S2). The heater control unit 410 controls the currents supplied to the heaters He provided in the regions R1 to R6 so that the detected temperature values ​​of the regions R1 to R6 acquired by the detected temperature value acquiring unit 440 match the target temperature values ​​(step S3).

[0064] Here, the heater control unit 410 judges whether or not an instruction to end the heat treatment has been given (step S4). If an instruction to end the heat treatment has not been given, the heater control unit 410 returns to step S1. This allows the heat treatment to continue. If an instruction to end the heat treatment has been given, the heater control unit 410 judges whether or not an instruction to start a temperature uniformity determination operation has been given (step S5). If an instruction to start a temperature uniformity determination operation has not been given, the heater control unit 410 stops or reduces the supply of current to the heaters He provided in the multiple regions R1 to R6 (step S9). This ends the heat treatment.

[0065] When an instruction to start the temperature uniformity determination operation is given in step S5, the heater control unit 410 stops or reduces the supply of current to the heaters He provided in the multiple regions R1 to R6 (step S6). The detected temperature value acquisition unit 440 acquires the detected temperature values ​​of the multiple regions R1 to R6 obtained by the temperature conversion unit 430 (step S7). The temperature change storage unit 450 stores the temporal changes in the detected temperature values ​​of the multiple regions R1 to R6 acquired by the detected temperature value acquisition unit 440 (step S8).

[0066] The temperature change acquisition unit 460 acquires changes in the detected temperature values ​​of the multiple regions R1 to R6 stored in the temperature change storage unit 450 (step S10). The determination unit 470 determines whether the change in the detected temperature value of some regions acquired by the temperature change acquisition unit 460 differs from the change in the detected temperature value of other regions (step S11).

[0067] When the change in the detected temperature value of some regions is different from the change in the detected temperature value of other regions, the display control unit 480 causes the display unit 50 to display a warning (step S12). At this time, the display control unit 480 may cause the display unit 50 to display information indicating the region having an actual temperature different from the other regions.

[0068] The correction information calculation unit 490 calculates the correction information (step S13). The correction unit 500 corrects the relationship between the output value of the temperature sensor and the detected temperature value of the area having an actual temperature different from other areas using the correction information calculated by the correction information calculation unit 490 (step S14). This completes the temperature uniformity determination process.

[0069] If the manner of change in the detected temperature values ​​of some regions is equal to the manner of change in the detected temperature values ​​of other regions within a predetermined tolerance range, the display control unit 480 causes the display unit 50 to display that the actual temperatures of all regions R1 to R6 are uniform (step S15).

[0070] (5) Effects of the embodiment In the heat treatment apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the heaters He in the regions R1-R6 are turned off during the temperature uniformity determination operation, and whether or not the actual temperatures in some regions are different from the actual temperatures in other regions is determined based on the state of the decrease in the detected temperature values ​​in the regions R1-R6. In this case, a temperature measurement substrate is not required to determine the temperature uniformity in the regions R1-R6 of the heat treatment plate 10. As a result, it becomes possible to easily detect in a short time whether the temperature distribution on the heat treatment plate 10 is uniform.

[0071] In this embodiment, the manner of change in the detected temperature value in the temperature uniformity determination operation includes the gradient of change in the detected temperature value of the multiple regions R1 to R6, the detected temperature value of the multiple regions R1 to R6 at a time when a predetermined time has elapsed since the heater He was turned off, or the shape of change in the detected temperature value of the multiple regions R1 to R6 from the time when the heater He was turned off. In this case, the determination unit 470 can determine whether or not the actual temperature of some of the multiple regions R1 to R6 is different from the actual temperature of the other regions by a simple method. This prevents the process of the determination unit 470 from becoming complicated.

[0072] Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is possible to automatically perform the process from detecting whether the temperature distribution on the heat-treating plate 10 is constant to correcting the temperature sensor Se. As a result, it is possible to reduce the time required for maintenance of the heat-treating apparatus 100 with a simple configuration.

[0073] In addition, in this embodiment, if the pattern of change in the detected temperature value in some areas is different from the pattern of change in the detected temperature value in other areas, a warning is displayed on the display unit 50, so that the user can easily recognize that the temperature distribution of the heat treatment plate 10 is not uniform.

[0074] (6) Other embodiments In the above embodiment, the temperature uniformity determination operation is performed based on a user's operation or an external command signal, but a periodic temperature uniformity determination operation may also be performed automatically. The temperature uniformity determination operation may also be performed at the end of the heat treatment of the substrate W, or during a period when the heat treatment apparatus 100 is not performing the heat treatment of the substrate W. In this case, no additional time is required to perform the temperature uniformity determination operation, and thus the downtime in the heat treatment of the substrate W is reduced.

[0075] In the above embodiment, when the change in the detected temperature value of a part of the area acquired by the temperature change acquisition unit 460 differs from the change in the detected temperature value of the other area, a warning is displayed on the display unit 50, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the warning may be notified to the worker by turning on a lamp or the like, or the warning may be notified to the worker by voice.

[0076] In the above embodiment, when the change in the detected temperature value of a part of the region of the heat treatment plate 10 of the heat treatment apparatus 100 is different from that of the other regions, the correction unit 500 corrects the relationship between the output value of the temperature sensor of the region having the different actual temperature from the other regions and the detected temperature value using the correction information calculated by the correction information calculation unit 490, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in a substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of heat treatment apparatuses 100, when the change in the detected temperature value of a part of the region of the heat treatment plate 10 of the heat treatment apparatus 100 is different from that of the other regions, the use of the heat treatment apparatus 100 may be stopped. After the use of the heat treatment apparatus 100 is stopped, another heat treatment apparatus 100 different from the heat treatment apparatus 100 may be used.

[0077] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the heat-treating plate 10 is divided into a plurality of regions R1 to R6 in FIG. 2, but the heat-treating plate 10 may be divided into a plurality of regions of any shape and any number.

[0078] In the above embodiment, the heat-treating apparatus 100 is a heating apparatus and the heat-treating plate 10 is a heating plate, but the heat-treating apparatus 100 may be a cooling apparatus and the heat-treating plate 10 may be a cooling plate.

[0079] In addition, when the actual temperature of a certain region of the heat treatment plate 10 is different from that of the other regions, the relationship between the output value of the temperature sensor Se corresponding to the certain region and the detected temperature value may not be corrected so that the change in the detected temperature value of the certain region is equal to the change in the other regions. In this case, since the user can recognize the non-uniformity of the temperature distribution of the heat treatment plate 10 by the warning, the relationship between the output value of the temperature sensor Se and the detected temperature value of each region may be corrected, for example, by using a temperature measurement board.

[0080] (6) Correspondence between each component of the claims and each part of the embodiment The following describes an example of the correspondence between each component of the claims and each element of the embodiment. In the above embodiment, the heaters He are an example of a plurality of heat processing units, the temperature conversion unit 430 is an example of a conversion unit, the heater control unit 410 is an example of a control unit, and the display unit 50 is an example of a notification unit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 10...heat treatment plate, 20...temperature sensor group, 20a...temperature sensor group, 30...heater group, 30a...heater group, 40...control unit, 50...display unit, 100...heat treatment device, 410...heater control unit, 420...judgment start command unit, 430...temperature conversion unit, 440...detected temperature value acquisition unit, 450...temperature change storage unit, 460...temperature change acquisition unit, 470...judgment unit, 480...display control unit, 490...correction information calculation unit, 500...correction unit, He...heater, OF...offset value, R1 to R6...area, Se...temperature sensor, W...substrate

Claims

1. a heat treatment plate having a treatment surface on which a substrate is placed; a plurality of heat treatment sections provided corresponding to a plurality of regions of the treatment surface of the heat treatment plate, respectively; A plurality of temperature sensors provided corresponding to the plurality of regions, respectively; A conversion unit that converts output values ​​of the plurality of temperature sensors into detected temperature values; a control unit that controls the heat processing units so that a plurality of detected temperature values ​​corresponding to the plurality of temperature sensors coincide with a target temperature value; a determination unit that determines whether or not an actual temperature of a part of the plurality of regions is different from an actual temperature of another part of the plurality of regions based on a change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​from a time point when the heat treatment by the plurality of heat treatment units is completed, the manner of change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​includes a gradient of change in the plurality of detected temperature values; The determination unit determines whether or not an actual temperature of some of the plurality of regions differs from an actual temperature of other regions by comparing gradients of the plurality of detected temperature values.

2. A heat treatment plate having a treatment surface on which a substrate is placed; a plurality of heat treatment sections provided corresponding to a plurality of regions of the treatment surface of the heat treatment plate, respectively; A plurality of temperature sensors provided corresponding to the plurality of regions, respectively; A conversion unit that converts output values ​​of the plurality of temperature sensors into detected temperature values; a control unit that controls the heat processing units so that a plurality of detected temperature values ​​corresponding to the plurality of temperature sensors coincide with a target temperature value; a determination unit that determines whether or not an actual temperature of a part of the plurality of regions is different from an actual temperature of another part of the plurality of regions based on a change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​from a time point when the heat treatment by the plurality of heat treatment units is completed, the change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​includes the plurality of detected temperature values ​​at a time point when a predetermined time has elapsed since the end of the heat treatment, The determination unit determines whether an actual temperature of some of the multiple regions differs from an actual temperature of other regions by comparing the multiple detected temperature values ​​at the time point when the predetermined time has elapsed.

3. A heat treatment plate having a treatment surface on which a substrate is placed; a plurality of heat treatment sections provided corresponding to a plurality of regions of the treatment surface of the heat treatment plate, respectively; A plurality of temperature sensors provided corresponding to the plurality of regions, respectively; A conversion unit that converts output values ​​of the plurality of temperature sensors into detected temperature values; a control unit that controls the heat processing units so that a plurality of detected temperature values ​​corresponding to the plurality of temperature sensors coincide with a target temperature value; a determination unit that determines whether or not an actual temperature of a part of the plurality of regions is different from an actual temperature of another part of the plurality of regions based on a change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​from a time point when the heat treatment by the plurality of heat treatment units is completed, the manner of change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​includes a shape of change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​from a time point at which the heat treatment is ended, The determination unit determines whether or not an actual temperature of some of the plurality of regions differs from an actual temperature of other regions by comparing shapes of changes in the plurality of detected temperature values.

4. A heat treatment apparatus as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a correction unit that, when the judgment unit determines that the actual temperature of the partial area is different from the actual temperature of the other areas, corrects the relationship between the output value of the temperature sensor corresponding to the partial area in the conversion unit and the detected temperature value based on the manner of change in the detected temperature value corresponding to the partial area so that the manner of change in the detected temperature value of the partial area is equal to the manner of change in the detected temperature value corresponding to the other areas.

5. 5. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a notification unit that issues a warning when the determination unit determines that the actual temperature of the partial area is different from the actual temperature of the other area.

6. 6. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the end of the heat treatment by the plurality of heat treatment sections and the judgment by the judgment section are performed at predetermined regular intervals.

7. 7. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the end of the heat treatment by said plurality of heat treatment sections and the judgment by said judgment section are performed at the end of the heat treatment of the substrate.

8. 8. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the end of the heat treatment by the plurality of heat treatment sections and the determination by the determination section are performed during a period in which the heat treatment by the plurality of heat treatment sections is not being performed.

9. A heat treatment method for performing heat treatment on a substrate using a heat treatment device, comprising the steps of: The heat treatment device includes: a heat treatment plate having a treatment surface on which a substrate is placed; a plurality of heat treatment sections provided corresponding to a plurality of regions on a treatment surface of a heat treatment plate, the heat treatment sections being adapted to perform heat treatment on the corresponding regions; a plurality of temperature sensors provided corresponding to the plurality of regions, The heat treatment method includes: converting output values ​​of the plurality of temperature sensors into detected temperature values; controlling the plurality of heat treatment units so that a plurality of detected temperature values ​​corresponding to the plurality of temperature sensors coincide with a target temperature value; determining whether or not an actual temperature of a part of the plurality of regions is different from an actual temperature of another region based on a change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​from a time point when the heat treatment by the plurality of heat treatment sections is completed; the manner of change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​includes a gradient of change in the plurality of detected temperature values; The heat treatment method, wherein the determining step includes determining whether or not an actual temperature of some of the plurality of regions is different from an actual temperature of other regions by comparing gradients of the plurality of detected temperature values.

10. A heat treatment method for performing heat treatment on a substrate using a heat treatment apparatus, comprising: The heat treatment device includes: a heat treatment plate having a treatment surface on which a substrate is placed; a plurality of heat treatment sections provided corresponding to a plurality of regions on a treatment surface of a heat treatment plate, the heat treatment sections being adapted to perform heat treatment on the corresponding regions; a plurality of temperature sensors provided corresponding to the plurality of regions, The heat treatment method includes: converting output values ​​of the plurality of temperature sensors into detected temperature values; controlling the plurality of heat treatment units so that a plurality of detected temperature values ​​corresponding to the plurality of temperature sensors coincide with a target temperature value; determining whether or not an actual temperature of a part of the plurality of regions is different from an actual temperature of another region based on a change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​from a time point when the heat treatment by the plurality of heat treatment sections is completed; the change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​includes the plurality of detected temperature values ​​at a time point when a predetermined time has elapsed since the end of the heat treatment, A heat treatment method, wherein the determining step includes determining whether the actual temperatures of some of the multiple regions are different from the actual temperatures of other regions by comparing the multiple detected temperature values ​​at the time the predetermined time has elapsed.

11. A heat treatment method for performing heat treatment on a substrate using a heat treatment apparatus, comprising: The heat treatment device includes: a heat treatment plate having a treatment surface on which a substrate is placed; a plurality of heat treatment sections provided corresponding to a plurality of regions on a treatment surface of a heat treatment plate, the heat treatment sections being adapted to perform heat treatment on the corresponding regions; a plurality of temperature sensors provided corresponding to the plurality of regions, The heat treatment method includes: converting output values ​​of the plurality of temperature sensors into detected temperature values; controlling the plurality of heat treatment units so that a plurality of detected temperature values ​​corresponding to the plurality of temperature sensors coincide with a target temperature value; determining whether or not an actual temperature of a part of the plurality of regions is different from an actual temperature of another region based on a change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​from a time point when the heat treatment by the plurality of heat treatment sections is completed; the manner of change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​includes a shape of change in the plurality of detected temperature values ​​from a time point at which the heat treatment is ended, The heat treatment method, wherein the determining step includes determining whether or not an actual temperature of some of the plurality of regions is different from an actual temperature of other regions by comparing shapes of changes in the plurality of detected temperature values.

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