Film formation position deviation correction method and film formation system

Abstract

To provide a film deposition position misalignment correction method and a film deposition system capable of more easily correcting film deposition position misalignment when replacing a shielding member in a film deposition module.SOLUTION: A film deposition position misalignment correction method includes: replacing a shielding member of a film deposition module in a film deposition system that includes a film thickness measurement device; carrying a substrate into the film deposition module by a carrier mechanism and depositing a film on the substrate; carrying the substrate with the film deposited thereon into a film thickness measurement apparatus, measuring the film thickness at an end portion of the substrate, and determining the amount of film deposition position misalignment; correcting the substrate carrying position of the carrying mechanism to correct the film deposition position misalignment; carrying the substrate used for measuring the film deposition position misalignment to the film deposition module and depositing a film; measuring the film thickness by the film thickness measurement apparatus to determine the amount of the film deposition position alignment; and confirming the correction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a film formation position deviation correction method and a film formation system. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a film formation system for forming a multilayer film on a substrate, in which multiple processing modules for performing film formation processes are connected to a vacuum transfer chamber, and a transfer mechanism within the vacuum transfer chamber sequentially transfers the substrate to each processing module to form each film.

[0003] In a system having such a transport mechanism, teaching is performed to teach necessary information in advance in order to transport the substrate to a predetermined position on the substrate mounting table in the processing module with high precision (for example, Patent Document 2).

[0004] Generally, when performing a film formation process on a substrate, a ring-shaped shielding member is provided to prevent film formation on the edge portion of the substrate on the substrate mounting table, and the shielding member is replaced during equipment maintenance. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6160614 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-326172 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present disclosure provides a film deposition position deviation correction method and a film deposition system that can more easily correct a film deposition position deviation that occurs when a shielding member is replaced in a film deposition module. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A film formation position misalignment correction method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a film formation system including a substrate mounting table for mounting a substrate, a film formation module having a shielding member detachably provided so as to cover an edge portion of the substrate mounted on the substrate mounting table and for forming a film on the substrate, a film thickness measurement device for in-situ measuring a film thickness of a film formed in the film formation module, and a transport mechanism for transporting the substrate to the film formation module and the film thickness measurement device, the method comprising the steps of: replacing the shielding member; transporting the substrate into the film formation module by the transport mechanism and forming a film on the substrate; transporting the substrate after film formation to the film thickness measurement device and measuring a film thickness at an edge of the substrate to determine an amount of film formation position misalignment; correcting a transport position of the substrate by the transport mechanism so as to eliminate the film formation position misalignment; and measuring the film formation position misalignment by the transport mechanism whose transport position has been corrected. of The substrate used for the measurement of the amount is transported to the film-forming module, where film formation is performed, and the film thickness of the formed film is similarly measured by the film-thickness measuring device, thereby determining the film-forming position deviation. of and a step of determining the amount of the correction and confirming the correction. The step of grasping the amount of film formation position deviation includes determining, by the film thickness measuring device, the position of a boundary portion between an area at the end of the substrate where a film is formed without being shielded by the shielding member and an area where film formation is suppressed due to shielding by the shielding member, determining the length of the area at the end of the substrate where film formation is suppressed due to shielding by the shielding member from the position of the boundary portion, and grasping the amount of film formation position deviation from the deviation in the length of the area where film formation is suppressed due to shielding by the shielding member. . [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, a film deposition position deviation correcting method and a film deposition system are provided that can more easily correct a film deposition position deviation that occurs when a shielding member is replaced in a film deposition module. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically illustrating an example of a film formation system including a film thickness measurement device. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a film forming module installed in the film forming system. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a film thickness measuring device installed in a film forming system. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a deviation of a film formation area when a shielding member is replaced. [Figure 5]10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a film formation position deviation correction method. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams showing an example of a method for determining the amount of film formation position misalignment on a substrate. [Figure 7] 7A and 7B are diagrams showing the results of actually calculating (a) the deviation Sy in the AC direction, which is the Y direction, and (b) the deviation Sx in the BD direction, which is the X direction, using FIG. 6 before the transfer position is corrected by the transfer mechanism. [Figure 8] This figure shows the profile of the difference between the film thickness measured after correcting the transport position by the transport mechanism and the film thickness measured initially, where (a) shows the deviation Sy in the AC direction, which is the Y direction, and (b) shows the deviation Sx in the BD direction, which is the X direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] <Background> First, the background will be explained. In the film formation system, a substrate is transported into a chamber of a film formation module by a transport device and placed on a mounting table inside the chamber. At this time, teaching of the transport device is performed to adjust the transport position of the substrate relative to the mounting table so that it is at a desired position.

[0012] Meanwhile, the deposition module's mounting stage is equipped with a shielding member to prevent deposition on the edge of the substrate. The shielding member is replaced during equipment maintenance. When the shielding member is replaced, an offset occurs in the mounting position of the shielding member, which can result in deposition position misalignment, or a deviation in the deposition area within the substrate surface. For this reason, conventionally, after replacing the shielding member, deposition is actually performed on the substrate, and after the substrate is removed from the deposition system, the deposition position misalignment is measured visually or optically, and the transfer device is corrected to eliminate the misalignment. Furthermore, after the correction, it is necessary to confirm whether the correction is appropriate, and if the misalignment is not eliminated, to perform a re-correction. This requires deposition and misalignment measurement two to three times. Because the substrate after deposition must be removed from the deposition system, the substrate must be discarded after each misalignment measurement, and two to three substrates are required for one deposition position misalignment correction.

[0013] In this way, in the past, the substrate had to be removed from the deposition system to measure the amount of misalignment, which made the process complicated and reduced throughput. Furthermore, to eliminate the deposition position misalignment, the deposition and measurement of the amount of misalignment had to be repeated two or three times, which required multiple substrates.

[0014] Therefore, using a film formation system equipped with an in-situ film thickness measurement device such as that described in JP 2021-144022 A, film formation position deviation is corrected based on the film thickness measurement results of the in-situ film thickness measurement device. That is, after replacing the shielding member, a film is formed on the substrate, the film thickness of the formed film is measured in-situ, and the amount of deviation of the film formation position deviation is measured from the results, and the transfer device is adjusted to eliminate the deviation, thereby correcting the film formation position deviation. Then, to confirm the correction, a film is formed again on the same substrate, and the film thickness is measured using the film thickness measurement device, and the correction is confirmed. Furthermore, if re-correction is necessary, a film is formed on the same substrate in the same way and the amount of deviation is measured.

[0015] This eliminates the need to remove the substrate from the film deposition system to measure the amount of film deposition position misalignment, allowing for easy correction of film deposition position misalignment with fewer steps. Furthermore, because the misalignment is measured by in-situ film thickness measurement, film deposition and measurement of the amount of misalignment can be repeated using a single substrate, allowing for correction of film deposition position misalignment without using multiple substrates. Furthermore, because the amount of film deposition position misalignment is measured by in-situ film thickness measurement, the film deposition rate can be derived based on the film thickness measurement at the same time as measuring the amount of film deposition position misalignment.

[0016] <Specific embodiment> [Film deposition system] FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing an example of a film formation system equipped with a film thickness measurement device.

[0017] The film formation system 1 includes a processing section 2 that performs film formation processing, a transfer section 3 that holds a plurality of substrates and transfers the substrates into and out of the processing section 2, and a control section 4. The substrate is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a semiconductor substrate (semiconductor wafer).

[0018] The processing unit 2 has a plurality of (four in the figure) film formation modules 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d that perform film formation processing on the substrates W, a plurality of (two in the figure) transport modules 21a and 21b that sequentially transport the substrates W to these film formation modules 20a to 20d, and a film thickness measuring device 25 that measures the film thickness of the formed film.

[0019] The film forming modules 20a to 20d constitute a film forming apparatus that performs a film forming process on the substrate W, and each film forming module performs a film forming process to form a multilayer film on the substrate W. A single film forming module may form multiple films. Although an example is shown here in which there are four film forming modules, this is not limitative and the number may be set as needed depending on the number of layers in the multilayer film. Details of the film forming modules will be described later.

[0020] The transfer modules 21a and 21b have a hexagonal planar shape and are maintained in a vacuum state. Transfer mechanisms 23a and 23b are provided within the transfer modules 21a and 21b, respectively.

[0021] The transport mechanisms 23a and 23b each have an articulated structure, and include a transport arm 27 that holds the substrate W, and a base 28 that includes a drive unit (not shown) that raises, lowers, and rotates the transport arm 27.

[0022] A buffer unit 24 serving as a transport buffer is provided between the transport modules 21a and 21b, and the transport modules 21a and 21b communicate with each other via the buffer unit 24. The buffer unit 24 is configured to be able to temporarily hold a substrate W.

[0023] The transfer modules 21a and 21b are arranged in the Y direction in the figure, the film forming modules 20a and 20b are provided on one side of the transfer modules 21a and 20b, and the film forming modules 20c and 20d are provided on the other side of the transfer modules 21a and 20b.

[0024] The film formation module 20a is connected to the transfer module 21a via a gate valve G11 and to the transfer module 21b via a gate valve G12. The film formation module 20b is connected to the transfer module 21b via a gate valve G2. The film formation module 20c is connected to the transfer module 21b via a gate valve G3. The film formation module 20d is connected to the transfer module 21b via a gate valve G42 and to the transfer module 21a via a gate valve G41.

[0025] The film formation modules 20a and 20d are accessible by the transfer mechanisms 23a and 23b, and the film formation modules 20b and 20c are accessible by the transfer mechanism 23b. The gate valves G11, G12, G2, G3, G41, and G42 are opened when the transfer mechanisms access the corresponding film formation modules, and are closed when processing is being performed.

[0026] A film thickness measuring device 25 that measures the film thickness of a film formed on a substrate W is connected to the tip of the transfer module 21b via a gate valve G5. The transfer mechanism 23b can access the film thickness measuring device 25, and the gate valve G5 is opened when the transfer mechanism 23b accesses the film thickness measuring device 25 and is closed when film thickness measurement processing is being performed.

[0027] The loading / unloading section 3 is connected to one end of the processing section 2. The loading / unloading section 3 has an atmospheric transfer chamber (EFEM) 31, and three load ports 32, an aligner module 33, and two load lock modules 34a and 34b connected to the atmospheric transfer chamber 31. A transfer device (not shown) is provided inside the atmospheric transfer chamber 31.

[0028] The atmospheric transfer chamber 31 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with its longitudinal direction aligned in the X direction in the drawing. Three load ports 32 are provided on the long side wall of the atmospheric transfer chamber 31 on the side opposite the processing section 2. Each load port 32 has a mounting table 35 and a transfer port 36. A FOUP 30, which is a container for accommodating multiple substrates, is mounted on the mounting table 35, and the FOUP 30 on the mounting table 35 is connected to the atmospheric transfer chamber 31 via the transfer port 36 in a sealed state.

[0029] The aligner module 33 is connected to one of the short side walls of the atmospheric transfer chamber 31. In the aligner module 33, alignment of the substrate W is performed.

[0030] The two load lock modules 34a and 34b enable the transfer of substrates W between the atmospheric transfer chamber 31, which is at atmospheric pressure, and the transfer modules 21a and 21b, which are at vacuum, and are capable of varying the pressure between atmospheric pressure and vacuum. The load lock module 34a has two transfer ports, one of which is connected to the long side wall of the atmospheric transfer chamber 31 on the processing unit 2 side via gate valve G8, and the other of which is connected to the transfer module 21a via gate valve G6. The load lock module 34b also has two transfer ports, one of which is connected to the long side wall of the atmospheric transfer chamber 31 on the processing unit 2 side via gate valve G9, and the other of which is connected to the transfer module 21a via gate valve G7. The gate valves G6, G7, G8, and G9 are opened when the transfer mechanism 23a or a transfer device (not shown) accesses the corresponding load lock module, and are closed when a pressure change operation is performed.

[0031] The load lock module 34a is used when transferring the substrate W from the load / unload section 3 to the processing section 2, and the load lock module 34b is used when transferring the substrate W from the processing section 2 to the load / unload section 3.

[0032] The transfer mechanism 23a in the transfer module 21a is accessible to the load lock modules 34a and 34b, the film deposition modules 20a and 20d, and the buffer unit 24. The transfer mechanism 23b in the transfer module 21b is accessible to the film deposition modules 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d, and the buffer unit 24.

[0033] The transfer mechanism in the atmospheric transfer chamber 31 is accessible to the FOUP 30 and the load lock modules 34a and 34b. Specifically, the transfer mechanism takes out an unprocessed substrate W from the FOUP 30, transfers the substrate W to the load lock module 34a, receives a processed substrate W transferred from the processing unit 2 to the load lock module 34b, and transfers the substrate W to the FOUP 30.

[0034] The film thickness measuring device 25 measures the film thickness of a film formed in a certain film forming module in-situ. The position of the film thickness measuring device 25 is not limited to the position in this example. Furthermore, there may be more than one film thickness measuring device 25. Details of the film thickness measuring device 25 will be described later.

[0035] The control unit 4 controls each component of the film formation system 1, such as the transfer mechanisms 23a and 23b, the film formation modules 20a to 20d, the load lock modules 34a and 34b, the gate valves, and the film thickness measurement device 25. The control unit 4 is configured as a computer and includes a main control unit having a CPU, an input device, an output device, a display device, and a storage device. The storage device is provided with a storage medium in which a processing recipe is stored. The main control unit causes the film formation system 1 to perform a predetermined operation based on the processing recipe called from the storage medium.

[0036] The storage device stores the coordinates of the transport arms of the transport mechanisms 23a and 23b when the substrate W is placed at a desired position on the mounting table of the film forming module, which coordinates are determined by teaching using a position sensor such as an optical sensor. Then, the main control unit controls the transport mechanisms 23a and 23b based on the coordinates to transport the substrate W to the film forming module.

[0037] In the film forming system 1 configured as above, the film forming process for the substrate is carried out as follows under the control of the control unit 4.

[0038] First, the substrate W is taken out of the FOUP 30 and transferred to the load lock chamber 34a by the transfer mechanism in the atmospheric transfer chamber 31. Then, the substrate W is taken out of the load lock chamber 34a by the transfer mechanism 23a and is subjected to a series of film formation processes in the processing section 2.

[0039] Specifically, the substrate W taken out from the load lock chamber 34a by the transfer mechanism 23a is transferred to the film formation module 20a, where a film is formed on the substrate W by the film formation module 20a. After the film formation process in the film formation module 20a, the substrate is taken out of the film formation module 20a by the transfer mechanism 23b and transferred to the film formation module 20b, where a film is formed on the substrate W by the film formation module 20b. After the film formation process in the film formation module 20b, the substrate W is taken out of the film formation module 20b by the transfer mechanism 23b and transferred to the film formation module 20c, where a film is formed on the substrate W by the film formation module 20c. After the film formation process in the film formation module 20c, the substrate W is taken out of the film formation module 20c by the transfer mechanism 23a and transferred to the film formation module 20d, where a film is formed on the substrate W by the film formation module 20d.

[0040] After the film formation process in the film formation module 20d is completed, the substrate W is transferred to the load lock chamber 34b by the transfer mechanism 23a. Then, the substrate W in the load lock chamber 34b is returned to the FOUP 30 by the transfer mechanism in the atmospheric transfer chamber 31.

[0041] The above-described film formation process is performed sequentially on a plurality of substrates, but if the desired transport is difficult due to the state of the transport mechanisms 23a and 23b, the substrates W are temporarily retracted to the buffer unit 24.

[0042] During the process of forming the multilayer film as described above, if necessary, the film thickness of the formed film is measured in situ by the film thickness measuring device 25, as will be described later. Also, based on the film thickness measurement by the film thickness measuring device 25, any deviation in the film formation position is corrected.

[0043] [Deposition module] Next, the film forming module will be described in detail. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the film deposition module 20a. The film deposition modules 20b to 20d are configured in the same manner.

[0044] The film forming module 20a is configured as a film forming device that forms a film on a substrate by sputtering.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 1, the film forming module 20 a includes a chamber 110 , a sputter particle emitting unit 130 , a substrate placement unit 140 , a gas introduction port 150 , and an exhaust mechanism 160 .

[0046] The chamber 110 is configured to accommodate a substrate W and maintain a vacuum inside. The upper side of the chamber has an inclined surface. A gas inlet port 150 is provided at the top of the chamber 110. Gases required for sputtering film formation (e.g., rare gases such as argon, krypton, and neon, or nitrogen gas) are supplied from the gas inlet port 150. A load port 113 for loading the substrate is formed in the side wall of the chamber 110. The load port 113 is opened and closed by a gate valve G11. Although not shown, a load port for loading the substrate is also formed in the side wall of the chamber 110, and the load port is opened and closed by a gate valve G12.

[0047] The sputter particle emission section 130 has a plurality of target holders 131 (two in the figure), a plurality of targets 132 held by each target holder 131, and a plurality of power supplies 133 that apply voltages to each target holder 131.

[0048] The target holder 131 is made of the components of the film to be formed, and is attached via an insulating member to the upper inclined surface of the chamber 110. The target holder 131 holds the target 132 so that the target 132 is positioned obliquely above the substrate W held on the substrate mounting part 140.

[0049] The plurality of power supplies 133 are electrically connected to the plurality of target holders 131, respectively. When a voltage (e.g., a DC voltage) is applied from the power supplies 133 to the target holders 131, the sputtering gas is dissociated around the targets 132. Then, ions in the dissociated sputtering gas collide with the targets 132, and sputtering particles, which are particles of the constituent material of the targets 132, are emitted from the targets 132.

[0050] The number of target holders 131 and targets 132 may be one each.

[0051] The substrate mounting part 140 has a substrate mounting table 141 on which the substrate W is mounted, and a shielding member 142 provided on the periphery of the substrate mounting table 141. The shielding member 142 is ring-shaped and is detachably provided above the substrate W mounted on the substrate mounting table 141 so as to cover the edge portion of the substrate W, thereby suppressing film formation on the edge portion of the substrate W. Elevating pins (not shown) for raising and lowering the substrate W are provided inside the substrate mounting table 141 so as to be protruding and retracting from the upper surface of the substrate mounting table 141. The substrate mounting table 141 is rotatable by a rotation mechanism (not shown). An electrostatic chuck may be provided on the upper surface of the substrate mounting table 141. A temperature control mechanism such as a heater may also be provided inside the substrate mounting table 141.

[0052] The exhaust mechanism 160 is connected to an exhaust port 114 provided at the bottom of the chamber 110. The exhaust mechanism 160 includes a vacuum pump capable of reducing the pressure inside the chamber 110 to a vacuum, and an automatic pressure control valve.

[0053] In the film forming module 20a configured as above, the gate valve G11 is opened, and the substrate W is loaded into the chamber 110 through the loading port 113 by the transfer mechanism 23a.

[0054] Next, sputtering gas is introduced into chamber 110 through gas inlet port 150, and the interior of chamber 110 is controlled to a predetermined vacuum pressure by exhaust mechanism 160 to perform sputtering film formation. Sputtering film formation is performed by applying a voltage from power supply 133 to target holder 131, causing ions in the sputtering gas dissociated around target 132 to collide with target 132. That is, when ions collide with target 132, sputtered particles are emitted, and the sputtered particles are incident obliquely on the surface of substrate W and deposited on substrate W. At this time, more uniform film formation can be achieved by performing sputtering film formation while rotating substrate mounting table 141 by a rotation mechanism (not shown).

[0055] After the film formation process is completed, the sputtering gas is introduced as a purge gas into the chamber 110 from the gas inlet port 150 to purge the chamber 110. Thereafter, the gate valve G12 (see FIG. 1) is opened, and the substrate W is unloaded from an unloading port (not shown) by the transfer mechanism 23b of the transfer module 21b.

[0056] [Film thickness measurement device] Next, the film thickness measuring device 25 will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a film thickness measurement device 25. As shown in FIG. 3, the film thickness measurement device 25 of this example has a chamber 201. A stage 202, which can rotate and move up and down and on which a substrate W is placed, is provided within the chamber 201. A shaft 203 is connected to the center of the bottom surface of the stage 202. The shaft 203 extends downward through a through-hole 208 formed in a bottom wall 201c of the chamber 201 and is connected to a rotation mechanism 204. The stage 202 is rotated via the shaft 203 by the rotation mechanism 204. The rotation mechanism 204 has a motor and an absolute encoder connected to the motor. The absolute encoder functions as an orientation detector that detects the orientation of the stage 202. Based on the detection result of the absolute encoder, the orientation of the stage 202 is controlled by the control unit 4 of the film formation system 1. The rotation mechanism 204 is attached to a lifting plate 205, which is connected to a lifting mechanism 206. The lifting mechanism 206 is configured by, for example, a piezoelectric actuator, and is capable of finely adjusting the height position of the stage 202 via the lifting plate 205 and the shaft 203. An expandable bellows 207 is provided airtightly between the bottom wall 201c and the lifting plate 205 so as to surround the shaft 203.

[0057] An exhaust port 210 is formed in the bottom wall 201c of the chamber 201, and an exhaust pipe 211 is connected to the exhaust port 210. An exhaust mechanism 212 including an automatic pressure control valve and a vacuum pump is connected to the exhaust pipe 211. By operating the exhaust mechanism 212, the interior of the chamber 201 is made into a desired vacuum state.

[0058] A substrate loading / unloading port 213 is provided in a side wall 201a of the chamber 201, and the substrate loading / unloading port 213 can be opened and closed by the above-mentioned gate valve G5.

[0059] A thin and long through-hole 214 extending in the radial direction of the substrate W is formed in the top wall (lid) 201b of the chamber 201. The through-hole 214 is covered by a light-transmitting member 230 made of, for example, quartz, which transmits light for film thickness measurement and a laser for distance measurement, which will be described later. A seal ring 231 seals the space between the light-transmitting member 230 and the top wall 201b.

[0060] A recess 221 is formed on the top surface of the stage 202, and a reference member 220 is placed in the recess 221. The reference member 220 is made of the same material as the base (substrate) of the substrate W, for example, silicon if the substrate W is a silicon substrate, and is used to measure the output light intensity of the light source. It is also used as a reference for film thickness measurement. Furthermore, the stage 202 is provided with lifting pins (not shown) for transporting the substrate that can be protruded and retracted into the surface of the stage 202. The stage 202 may also be provided with a heater that performs a heat treatment on the substrate W.

[0061] A light emitting / receiving assembly 240 is provided in the atmospheric region above a position corresponding to the through-hole 214 of the chamber 201. The light emitting / receiving assembly 240 has a main body 241, a measurement light emitting / detecting unit 242, and a distance measuring laser emitting / detecting unit 243. The measurement light emitting / detecting unit 242 and the distance measuring laser emitting / detecting unit 243 are attached to the main body 241 in an adjacent state. Above the chamber 201, a linear guide 233 that guides the main body 241 is horizontally arranged while being supported by a support member 234 on the top wall 201b of the chamber 201.

[0062] The main body 241 is configured as a slider guided by a linear guide 233, and the main body 241 is driven by a drive motor 144. As a result, the entire light emitting / receiving assembly 240, which has the measurement light emitting / detecting unit 242 and the distance measuring laser emitting / detecting unit 243, is configured to be scanned horizontally along the linear guide 233. The light emitted from the measurement light emitting / detecting unit 242 and the laser light emitted from the distance measuring laser emitting / detecting unit 243 are irradiated onto the substrate W through the light-transmitting member 230 and the transparent hole 214, and the irradiation point can be scanned in the radial direction (R direction). Furthermore, by rotating the substrate W on the stage 202 using the rotation mechanism 204, the irradiation point of the light emitted from the measurement light emitting / detecting unit 242 and the laser light emitted from the distance measuring laser emitting / detecting unit 243 can be scanned in the circumferential direction (Θ direction) on the substrate W. That is, the drive motor 244 and the rotation mechanism 204 function as a movement mechanism that moves the irradiation point on the substrate of the light emitted from the measurement light emission / detection unit 242 and the laser light emitted from the distance measurement laser emission / detection unit 243.

[0063] The measurement light emission / detection unit 242 includes a light emission section that emits film thickness measurement light L1 toward the substrate W and a light-receiving sensor that detects reflected light of the emitted light. Light is guided to the light emission section from a light source section 245 via an optical fiber 246. The light source section 245 includes a light source, an amplifier that amplifies the light from the light source, an optical system, a sensor, and the like. The light source can be a lamp light source that emits short-wavelength broad light in the visible light range with a wavelength of 200 to 800 nm. The reflected light spectrum of the substrate W is measured using such a light source. Using such short-wavelength broad light, it is possible to measure the film thickness of an extremely thin film of 0.1 to 10 nm by spectral interferometry.

[0064] The light-receiving sensor receives light that is emitted from the light-emitting part and reflected by the substrate W. A detection signal detected by the light-receiving sensor is sent to a film thickness measurement part 247, which measures the film thickness of the film on the substrate W. The measurement light emission / detection unit 242, the light source part 245, the optical fiber 246, and the film thickness measurement part 247 configure the film thickness measurement part.

[0065] The distance-measuring laser emission / detection unit 243 has a laser emission section that emits a distance-measuring laser L2 downward (toward the stage 202), and a distance-measuring light-receiving sensor that receives reflected light of the laser. Laser light is guided to the laser emission section from a laser light source section 248 via an optical fiber 249. A detection signal detected by the distance-measuring light-receiving sensor is sent to a distance measurement section 250, which measures the distance d between the light-receiving sensor of the measurement light emission / detection unit 242 and the substrate W. The distance-measuring laser emission / detection unit 243, the laser light source section 248, the optical fiber 249, and the distance measurement section 250 configure a laser rangefinder.

[0066] A cooling fan 260 for cooling the light emitting / receiving assembly 240 is provided above the chamber 201. The cooling fan 260 is particularly effective when the stage 202 is heated by a heater.

[0067] A cover may be provided on the optical paths of the measurement light emission / detection unit 242 and the distance measurement laser emission / detection unit 243. By providing a cover, it is possible to prevent adverse effects on sensors and the like due to light leakage.

[0068] In the film thickness measuring device 25 configured as above, the film thickness of the film formed on the substrate W is measured in the following procedure.

[0069] First, the inside of the chamber 201 is maintained at a vacuum pressure similar to that of the transfer module 21b by the exhaust mechanism 212, and the film thickness measurement section (measurement light emission / detection unit 242) and the laser distance meter (distance measurement laser emission / detection unit 243) are turned on.

[0070] Next, the stage 202 is raised to align the surface of the reference member 220 with the measurement surface, and reference measurement is performed by irradiating the reference member 220 with light for film thickness measurement from the light source of the light source section 245 via the measurement light emission / detection unit 242. That is, by irradiating the reference member 220 with light from the light source of the light source section 245, the output light quantity of the light source is measured, and it is confirmed whether the light source output is within the standard range.

[0071] Next, the distance in the Z direction of the measurement point on the substrate W is measured. At this time, first, the reference position of the substrate W is measured. For example, if the substrate W is a semiconductor wafer, notch alignment is performed. Next, the height position of the surface of the substrate W is moved to the measurement plane. Next, the distance measuring laser emission / detection unit 243 measures the distance to the substrate W for multiple film thickness measurement positions on the substrate W, i.e., the distance (Z direction distance) between the light receiving sensor of the measurement light emission / detection unit 242 and the irradiation point on the substrate W. At this time, the R direction position (R coordinate) of the distance measuring laser emission / detection unit 243 is adjusted by the drive motor 244, and the Θ direction position (Θ coordinate) of the substrate W is adjusted by the rotation mechanism 204, so that the distance measuring laser is sequentially irradiated to the multiple film thickness measurement positions.

[0072] Next, at the film thickness measurement position where the Z direction distance was measured, the film thickness is actually measured as follows.

[0073] First, the drive motor 244 adjusts the position of the measurement light emission / detection unit 242, and the rotation mechanism 204 adjusts the angle of the substrate W. This adjusts the R-Θ coordinate of the irradiation point where light is irradiated from the measurement light emission / detection unit 242 onto the substrate W to one of multiple film thickness measurement positions. Next, based on the measurement results of the distance (Z direction distance) between the light receiving sensor and the irradiation point (film thickness measurement position) using a laser distance meter (distance measurement laser emission / detection unit 243), the Z direction distance is corrected by the lifting mechanism 206. Next, light is irradiated onto the substrate from the light emission unit of the film thickness measurement unit (measurement light emission / detection unit 242), and the reflected light from the irradiation point (film thickness measurement position) is detected by the light receiving sensor to measure the reflected light spectrum, and the film thickness at that position is measured using spectral interferometry. Next, in the same manner, the R-Θ coordinates of the irradiation points of light from the measurement light emission / detection unit 242 onto the substrate W are sequentially adjusted to the other film thickness measurement positions, and the Z direction distances of the film thickness measurement positions are sequentially corrected to measure the film thicknesses at the other film thickness measurement positions. After film thickness measurements at all measurement points are completed, the substrate W is unloaded.

[0074] In this example, when measuring film thickness by spectral interferometry, it is preferable to use short-wavelength broad light in the visible light range with a wavelength of 200 to 800 nm as the measurement light, which allows the measurement of the film thickness of an ultrathin film with a thickness of 0.1 to 10 nm.

[0075] [Method for correcting film deposition position deviation] During maintenance of the film formation system 1, the shielding members 142 of the film formation modules 20a to 20d are replaced. When a new shielding member 142 is attached, a deviation in the attachment position may occur, which results in a film formation position deviation, i.e., a deviation in the film formation area, within the surface of the substrate W. FIG. 4 shows an example of such a film formation position deviation. Due to the deviation in the attachment position of the shielding member 142, the film formation area 300, which should be evenly located in the center of the substrate W, is formed unevenly on the surface of the substrate W, as shown in FIG. 4, resulting in a film formation position deviation.

[0076] Such a deviation in the film formation position needs to be corrected, but since this deviation is caused by a deviation between the shielding member 142 and the substrate transport position, it will not become apparent until a film is actually formed on the substrate W.

[0077] For this reason, in the past, after replacing the shielding member, a film was actually formed on the substrate, and after the substrate was removed from the film formation system, the amount of deviation in the film formation range was measured visually or by optical measurement, and the coordinates of the transport device were adjusted to eliminate the deviation.

[0078] In this case, the substrate must be removed from the deposition system to measure the amount of misalignment, and a film with a thickness of about 20 nm must be deposited to measure the amount of misalignment. This makes the process complicated and reduces throughput. Furthermore, to eliminate the misalignment in the deposition position, the deposition and measurement of the amount of misalignment must be repeated two or three times, requiring multiple substrates. Moreover, this adjustment of the transport mechanism must be performed for all transport routes, which lengthens the total work time.

[0079] In contrast to this, in one embodiment, a film formation system 1 equipped with an in-situ film thickness measuring device 25 is used, and film formation position deviation is corrected based on the film thickness measurement results of the film thickness measuring device 25.

[0080] This will be explained in detail below. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the steps of the film formation position deviation correction method.

[0081] First, in the film formation system 1 equipped with the in-situ film thickness measuring device 25, the shielding members 142 of the film formation modules 20a to 20d are replaced (ST1).

[0082] Next, the substrate W is carried into one of the film forming modules 20a to 20d by the transport mechanism 23a or 23b, and a film having a desired thickness is formed on the substrate W (ST2).

[0083] Next, the substrate W after the film formation is transported to the film thickness measuring device 25, and the film thickness at the edge of the substrate W is measured to determine the amount of film formation position deviation (ST3).

[0084] As described above, film thickness can be measured using spectral interferometry. Film thickness measurements to determine the amount of film deposition position misalignment can be performed, for example, as follows: First, film thickness is measured, for example, in the radial direction, at multiple locations on the edge of the substrate W. This allows the position of the boundary between the film-formed area and the film-free area to be determined. From the position of this boundary, the length of the film-free area at the edge of the substrate is determined, and the amount of film deposition position misalignment is determined from the deviation in the length of this area. For example, as shown in Figure 6, film thickness is measured in the radial direction at four locations A, B, C, and D at 90° intervals on the edge of the substrate W. With BD as the X direction and AC as the Y direction, the amount of misalignment in the X and Y directions of the film-free area at the edge of the substrate is determined.

[0085] If the deviation of the film formation position exceeds the allowable range, the transport position of the substrate W of the corresponding transport mechanism is corrected so as to eliminate the deviation of the film formation position (ST4). Specifically, the coordinates of the corresponding transport mechanism stored in the storage device of the control unit 4 are corrected, and the transport position of the substrate W is corrected.

[0086] Next, the previous substrate W used to measure the film formation position deviation amount is transported to the same film formation module by the transport mechanism whose transport position has been corrected, and a second film is formed, and the film formation position deviation amount is similarly determined by the film thickness measuring device 25, and the correction is confirmed (ST5).

[0087] At this time, the actual film thickness profile of the film formed by the second film deposition is calculated by taking the difference between the film thickness measurement result at the substrate edge after the second film deposition and the film thickness measurement result at the substrate edge after the first film deposition, thereby making it possible to calculate the amount of misalignment of the second film deposition position.

[0088] If the film formation position deviation is within the allowable range, the film formation position deviation correction sequence is terminated. On the other hand, if the film formation position deviation amount still exceeds the allowable range, the above ST4 and ST5 are performed until the film formation position deviation amount falls within the allowable range.

[0089] Such correction of film formation position deviation is performed for the transport paths of all film formation modules.

[0090] As described above, in this embodiment, the amount of film formation position misalignment can be measured by the in-situ film thickness measurement device 25 without removing the substrate W from the film formation system 1, and the film formation position misalignment can be easily corrected with few steps. Moreover, since the misalignment is measured by in-situ film thickness measurement, film formation and measurement of the amount of misalignment can be repeated using a single substrate, and the film formation position misalignment can be corrected without using multiple substrates. Furthermore, since the amount of film formation position misalignment is measured by the in-situ film thickness measurement device 25, the amount of film formation position misalignment can be measured and the film formation rate can be derived based on the film thickness measurement at the same time.

[0091] <Experimental Example> Next, an experimental example will be described. Here, a 300 mm silicon substrate with a 300 nm thermal oxide film formed on its surface was used, and a Ru film with a thickness of 10 nm was formed using the film formation module (Figure 2) of the film formation system 1 shown in Figure 1.The substrate was then transported to the film thickness measurement device 25, and the film thickness at the edge of the substrate was measured using spectral interferometry.

[0092] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6 described above, the film thickness was measured in the radial direction at four points A, B, C, and D at 90° intervals on the edge of the substrate W, and the amount of deviation in the X and Y directions of the region where no film was formed on the edge of the substrate was calculated, with BD being the X direction and AC being the Y direction.

[0093] Figure 7(a) shows the deviation S in the AC direction, which is the Y direction. y (b) shows the deviation S in the BD direction, which is the X direction. x From FIG. 7, the deviation S in the AC direction yThere is almost no deviation in the BD direction, S x It can be seen that the distance is approximately 0.3 mm from the center of the substrate to the D side.

[0094] The film thickness profile at the edge of the substrate is used to calculate the film deposition deviation S x ,S y was calculated, and the transport position of the transport mechanism was corrected so that the non-film-formed areas at the substrate edge were uniform from A to D. Thereafter, the substrate with the deviation amount determined by the adjusted transport mechanism was transported to the previous film-forming module, and a Ru film was further formed on the substrate to a thickness of 5 nm.The substrate was then transported again to the film thickness measuring device 25, and the film thickness at the substrate edge was similarly measured by spectral interferometry to confirm the correction.

[0095] Figure 8 shows the profile of the difference between the film thickness measured after correction and the film thickness measured initially. (a) shows the deviation S in the AC direction, which is the Y direction. y (b) shows the deviation S in the BD direction, which is the X direction. x From Figure 8, the deviation S in the AC direction y The state where there is almost no deviation in the B-D direction is maintained. x From this, it was confirmed that the film thickness measurement at the substrate edge by the film thickness measuring device 25 had eliminated the film formation position deviation caused by the positional deviation of the shielding member 142.

[0096] <Other applications> Although the embodiments have been described above, the disclosed embodiments should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The above embodiments may be omitted, substituted, or modified in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

[0097] For example, in the above embodiment, a film formation system having multiple film formation modules and multiple transport mechanisms was used to correct film formation position deviations when replacing the shielding member, but the number of film formation modules and transport mechanisms is not limited and may be one.

[0098] In addition, in the above embodiment, a film deposition module that deposits a film by sputtering is exemplified, but this is not limited to this, and any module that provides a shielding member to cover the edge portion of the substrate can be used. Furthermore, the type and thickness of the film deposited on the substrate are not limited to those in the above embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0099] 1. Processing system 2; Processing section 3. Loading and unloading area 4; Control unit 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d: deposition modules 21a, 21b: Transfer module 23a, 23b; conveying mechanism 25. Film thickness measuring device 110;Chamber 130: Sputter particle emission part 142; Board mounting table 143: Shielding member 150: Gas inlet port 160;Exhaust mechanism 201; Chamber 202;Stage 204; Rotating mechanism 206; Lifting mechanism 220; Reference member 240: Light emitting / receiving assembly 242: Measurement light emission / detection unit 243; Laser emission / detection unit for distance measurement 244;Drive motor 300; Deposition area W; substrate

Claims

1. a film formation module that forms a film on the substrate, the film formation module having a substrate mounting table on which a substrate is mounted and a shielding member that is detachably provided so as to cover an edge portion of the substrate mounted on the substrate mounting table, a film thickness measurement device that measures in-situ the film thickness of the film formed in the film formation module, and a transport mechanism that transports the substrate to the film formation module and the film thickness measurement device, the film formation system including: a step of replacing the shielding member; a step of carrying a substrate into the film deposition module by the transport mechanism and depositing a film on the substrate; a step of transporting the substrate after film formation to the film thickness measuring device, measuring the film thickness at an edge of the substrate, and determining the amount of film formation position deviation; correcting the transfer position of the substrate by the transfer mechanism so as to eliminate the film formation position deviation; a step of transporting the substrate used for measuring the amount of film formation position misalignment to the film formation module by the transport mechanism whose transport position has been corrected, and similarly measuring the thickness of the deposited film in the film thickness measuring device to determine the amount of film formation position misalignment, and confirming the correction; and The step of determining the amount of film formation position deviation involves using the film thickness measuring device to determine the position of the boundary between the area at the edge of the substrate where a film is formed without being blocked by the shielding member and the area where the area is blocked by the shielding member and film formation is suppressed, determining the length of the area at the edge of the substrate where the area is blocked by the shielding member and film formation is suppressed from the position of the boundary, and determining the amount of film formation position deviation from the deviation in the length of the area where the area is blocked by the shielding member and film formation is suppressed.

2. 2. The film formation position misalignment correction method according to claim 1, wherein, when the step of confirming the correction confirms that the amount of the film formation position misalignment is not within an acceptable range, the step of correcting the transport position again and the step of confirming the correction are performed.

3. 2. The film deposition position misalignment correction method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining the amount of film deposition position misalignment includes determining the length of an area at the end of the substrate that is shielded by the shielding member and thus inhibits film formation in two mutually perpendicular directions, and determining the amount of film deposition position misalignment from the deviation in the length of the area that is shielded by the shielding member and thus inhibits film formation.

4. 2. The film deposition position misalignment correction method according to claim 1, wherein an actual film thickness profile of the film deposited on the substrate in the step of confirming the correction is determined by taking a difference between a film thickness measurement result in the step of confirming the correction and a film thickness measurement result in the step of grasping the amount of film deposition position misalignment, and the amount of film deposition position misalignment in the step of confirming the correction is determined using the film thickness profile.

5. 2. The method for correcting a film deposition position deviation according to claim 1, wherein the step of correcting the transport position is performed by modifying coordinates of the transport mechanism stored in a control unit of the film deposition system.

6. 2. The method for correcting a film deposition position deviation according to claim 1, wherein, when the step of determining the amount of the film deposition position deviation is performed, a film deposition rate is simultaneously derived based on a film thickness measurement result obtained by the film thickness measurement device.

7. 7. The method for correcting a film-forming position deviation according to claim 1, wherein the film thickness measuring device measures a spectrum of reflected light from the substrate and determines the film thickness of the film by spectral interference.

8. a film formation module that forms a film on the substrate, the film formation module having a substrate mounting table on which a substrate is mounted and a shielding member that is detachably provided so as to cover an edge portion of the substrate mounted on the substrate mounting table; a film thickness measuring device that measures the film thickness of the film formed in the film forming module in situ; a transport mechanism that transports a substrate to the film deposition module and the film thickness measurement device; A control unit; and The control unit a step of replacing the shielding member; a step of carrying a substrate into the film deposition module by the transport mechanism and depositing a film on the substrate; a step of transporting the substrate after film formation to the film thickness measuring device, measuring the film thickness at an edge of the substrate, and determining the amount of film formation position deviation; correcting the transfer position of the substrate by the transfer mechanism so as to eliminate the film formation position deviation; a step of transporting the substrate used in measuring the amount of film formation position misalignment to the film formation module by the transport mechanism whose transport position has been corrected, and similarly measuring the thickness of the deposited film in the film thickness measuring device to determine the amount of film formation position misalignment, and confirming the correction; Controls execution of When executing the process of grasping the amount of film formation position misalignment, the control unit determines the position of the boundary between the area at the edge of the substrate where a film is formed without being blocked by the shielding member and the area where the area is blocked by the shielding member and film formation is suppressed, determines the length of the area at the edge of the substrate where the area is blocked by the shielding member and film formation is suppressed from the position of the boundary, and controls the control unit to grasp the amount of film formation position misalignment from the deviation in the length of the area where the area is blocked by the shielding member and film formation is suppressed.

9. 9. The film forming system according to claim 8, wherein the control unit controls the process of correcting the transport position again and the process of confirming the correction when it is confirmed in the process of confirming the correction that the amount of the film forming position misalignment is not within an acceptable range.

10. The film formation system according to claim 8 , wherein the control unit corrects the transfer position by modifying coordinates of the transfer mechanism stored in a control unit of the film formation system.

11. The film formation system according to claim 8 , wherein the control unit derives a film formation rate based on a film thickness measurement result by the film thickness measurement device when the step of determining the amount of film formation position deviation is performed.

12. The film formation system according to claim 8 , wherein the film thickness measurement device measures a spectrum of reflected light from the substrate and determines the film thickness of the film by spectral interferometry.

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