Liquid processing method, discharge adjustment method, and liquid processing device

Abstract

In the present invention, a treatment liquid is sent to a discharge nozzle via a treatment liquid valve and then the treatment liquid is discharged from the discharge nozzle to a substrate. On the basis of the pressure of a supplied working fluid, the treatment liquid valve controls the flow of the treatment liquid in a flow passage connected to the discharge nozzle. On the basis of an adjustment parameter, which can be set variably, a fluid pressure adjustment part adjusts the fluctuation in the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the treatment liquid valve. By limiting the treatment liquid sent to the discharge nozzle via the treatment liquid valve, the discharge of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle is stopped. Correlation data between a working fluid parameter and the adjustment parameter is acquired, said working fluid parameter indicating the fluctuation in the pressure of the working fluid and being obtained by a fluid pressure measurement part measuring the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the treatment liquid valve.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a liquid processing method, a discharge adjusting method, and a liquid processing apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] By opening and closing a valve provided in the flow path upstream of the discharge nozzle, discharge of the processing liquid from the discharge nozzle onto the substrate can be turned on and off (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] As a valve capable of switching on / off the discharge of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle, for example, an air-operated switching valve that opens and closes a flow path depending on the pressure of the supplied working fluid (compressed air, etc.) can be used. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-267236 Summary of the Invention

[0005] The behavior of the treatment liquid being stopped from being discharged from the discharge nozzle can be adjusted, for example, by adjusting the opening of the fluid flow path through which the working fluid supplied to the above-mentioned air-operated switching valve flows, but such flow path opening is often determined based on the experience of the administrator.

[0006] When the discharge of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle is stopped, it takes a certain amount of time (hereinafter also referred to as the "discharge stop time") from the time the discharge stop signal is sent until the discharge of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle completely stops. During this discharge stop time, abnormalities such as droplets falling from the discharge nozzle may occur, and the administrator may be required to visually check for the presence or absence of such abnormalities.

[0007] As described above, in a situation where the opening degree of the fluid flow path is determined and the discharge stop behavior of the treatment liquid is confirmed manually, the effort and quality of the actual work is easily affected by the experience and ability of the manager, making it unstable.

[0008] The present disclosure provides a technique that is advantageous for stably grasping the behavior of the discharge stop of a treatment liquid from a discharge nozzle.

[0009] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a liquid processing method including: a process of sending a processing liquid to a discharge nozzle via a processing liquid valve and discharging the processing liquid from the discharge nozzle toward a substrate, wherein the processing liquid valve controls the flow of the processing liquid in a flow path connected to the discharge nozzle according to the pressure of the working fluid supplied, and a fluid pressure adjustment unit adjusts the fluctuation behavior of the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the processing liquid valve according to a variably settable adjustment parameter; a process of stopping the discharge of the processing liquid from the discharge nozzle by restricting the processing liquid sent to the discharge nozzle via the processing liquid valve; and a process of acquiring correlation data between the adjustment parameter and a working fluid parameter indicating the fluctuation behavior of the pressure of the working fluid obtained by a fluid pressure measurement unit measuring the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the processing liquid valve.

[0010] The present disclosure is advantageous in stably grasping the behavior of the discharge stop of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an example of a liquid supply system in a processing unit. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the discharge stop time. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the opening degree of the fluid flow path adjusted by the fluid pressure adjusting unit and the discharge stop time. [Figure 5]FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the passage of time and the working fluid pressure measured by the fluid pressure measuring unit when the discharge of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle is stopped. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the opening degree of the fluid flow path adjusted by the fluid pressure adjusting unit and the damping rate, relating to the results shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the fluid flow path opening and the damping rate, relating only to the results indicated by "Q2" to "Q17" among the results shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a specific configuration example of the processing unit. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the passage of time and the intensity of reflected light acquired by the light measurement unit. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the passage of time, the working fluid pressure, and the intensity of reflected light when the discharge of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle is stopped. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the passage of time, the working fluid pressure, and the intensity of reflected light when the discharge of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle is stopped. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the delay time and the ejection stop time. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the attenuation rate, the delay time, and the ejection stop time. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the first application example. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the second application example. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the correlation between the attenuation rate and the delay time. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the attenuation rate, the delay time, and the ejection stop time. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the third application example. [Figure 19]Figure 19 shows an example of the relationship between the passage of time and the working fluid pressure and the intensity of reflected light when the discharge of treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle is stopped, particularly when there is no unintended falling of droplets from the discharge nozzle. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 shows an example of the relationship between the passage of time and the working fluid pressure and the intensity of reflected light when the discharge of treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle is stopped, particularly when droplets unintentionally fall from the discharge nozzle. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the fifth application example. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the passage of time and the attenuation rate / delay time, and particularly shows a case where there is no significant difference in the fluctuations over time in the attenuation rate and delay time. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between time and the attenuation rate / delay time, and particularly shows a case where there is a significant difference in the fluctuations over time of the attenuation rate and delay time. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an example processing system 80.

[0014] The processing system 80 shown in Fig. 1 has a loading / unloading station 91 and a processing station 92. The loading / unloading station 91 includes a mounting section 81 equipped with a plurality of carriers C, and a transport section 82 equipped with a first transport mechanism 83 and an exchange section 84. Each carrier C accommodates a plurality of substrates W in a horizontal position. The substrates W are typically semiconductor wafers, glass substrates, or the like, but are not limited thereto. The processing station 92 is equipped with a plurality of processing units 10 installed on both sides of a transport path 86, and a second transport mechanism 85 that reciprocates along the transport path 86.

[0015] The substrate W is taken out of the carrier C by the first transport mechanism 83 and placed on the delivery section 84, and is taken out of the delivery section 84 by the second transport mechanism 85. The substrate W is then carried into the corresponding processing unit 10 by the second transport mechanism 85, and is subjected to a predetermined liquid processing in the corresponding processing unit 10. Thereafter, the substrate W is taken out of the corresponding processing unit 10 by the second transport mechanism 85 and placed on the delivery section 84, and is then returned to the carrier C on the receiver 81 by the first transport mechanism 83.

[0016] The processing system 80 includes a control unit 93. The control unit 93 is configured, for example, by a computer, and includes an arithmetic processing unit and a memory unit. The memory unit of the control unit 93 stores programs and data for various processes performed in the processing system 80. The arithmetic processing unit of the control unit 93 controls various mechanisms of the processing system 80 to perform various processes by appropriately reading and executing the programs stored in the memory unit.

[0017] The programs and data stored in the storage unit of the control unit 93 may be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium and installed into the storage unit from the storage medium. Examples of computer-readable storage media include a hard disk (HD), a flexible disk (FD), a compact disk (CD), a magnetic optical disk (MO), and a memory card.

[0018] In the above-described processing system 80, two or more of the processing units 10 may have the same configuration as each other or different configurations, and may perform the same process as each other or different processes as each other. Each processing unit 10 can perform various liquid processes on the substrate W by applying various processing liquids (e.g., chemical liquids, rinse liquids, cleaning liquids, etc.) to the substrate W.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an example of a liquid supply system in the processing unit 10. As shown in FIG.

[0020] The processing unit (liquid processing apparatus) 10 includes a discharge nozzle 20 that discharges a processing liquid Lp toward a processing surface Sp of the substrate W (for example, the upper surface of the substrate W).

[0021] The processing liquid flow path Cp connected to the discharge nozzle 20 is provided with a processing liquid valve 21, a constant pressure valve 24, a flow meter 25, a first supply valve 26, and a second supply valve 27. Downstream of the first supply valve 26 and the second supply valve 27, the flow meter 25, the constant pressure valve 24, the processing liquid valve 21, and the discharge nozzle 20 are provided in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side. The terms "upstream" and "downstream" here refer to the flow of the processing liquid Lp in the processing liquid flow path Cp when the processing liquid Lp is discharged from the discharge nozzle 20.

[0022] The first supply valve 26 and the second supply valve 27 are respectively provided in two branch flow paths provided in parallel in the processing liquid flow path Cp, and control the flow of the processing liquid Lp in the corresponding branch flow path. Each of the first supply valve 26 and the second supply valve 27 can be configured, for example, as an on-off valve, and can switch the flow of the processing liquid Lp in the corresponding branch flow path between on (fully open) and off (fully closed) under the control of the control unit 93 (see FIG. 1).

[0023] The flow meter 25 and the constant pressure valve 24 are provided downstream of the first supply valve 26 and the second supply valve 27, at a single flow path portion where the two branch flow paths, in which the first supply valve 26 and the second supply valve 27 are provided, join together. The flow meter 25 measures the flow rate (i.e., flow velocity) of the processing liquid Lp in the processing liquid flow path Cp and transmits the measurement result to the control unit 93. The constant pressure valve 24 adjusts the pressure of the processing liquid Lp in the processing liquid flow path Cp on the downstream side to the set pressure, even if the pressure of the processing liquid Lp in the processing liquid flow path Cp on the upstream side of the constant pressure valve 24 is higher than the set pressure.

[0024] The processing liquid valve 21 controls the flow of the processing liquid Lp in the processing liquid flow path Cp in accordance with the pressure of the working fluid Lw supplied from the fluid supply unit 28 via the fluid flow path Cw.

[0025] That is, the degree of opening of the treatment liquid flow path Cp, which is adjusted by the treatment liquid valve 21, varies depending on the pressure of the working fluid Lw supplied to the treatment liquid valve 21, and as a result, the flow rate of the treatment liquid Lp sent from the treatment liquid valve 21 to the discharge nozzle 20 changes. In this way, the treatment liquid Lp sent to the discharge nozzle 20 via the treatment liquid valve 21 is limited depending on the degree of opening of the treatment liquid flow path Cp, which is adjusted by the treatment liquid valve 21. For example, when the degree of opening of the treatment liquid flow path Cp is adjusted to "0 (zero)" by the treatment liquid valve 21 (that is, when the treatment liquid flow path Cp is fully closed), the treatment liquid Lp is not sent from the treatment liquid valve 21 to the discharge nozzle 20, and the discharge of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 is stopped.

[0026] The rate of change in the aperture of the treatment liquid flow path Cp, which is adjusted by the treatment liquid valve 21, varies depending on the behavior of fluctuations in the pressure of the working fluid Lw supplied to the treatment liquid valve 21. For example, when the pressure of the working fluid Lw supplied to the treatment liquid valve 21 fluctuates abruptly, the rate of change in the aperture of the treatment liquid flow path Cp also becomes abrupt, resulting in abrupt changes in the discharge state of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20. On the other hand, when the pressure of the working fluid Lw supplied to the treatment liquid valve 21 fluctuates slowly, the rate of change in the aperture of the treatment liquid flow path Cp also becomes slow, resulting in abrupt changes in the discharge state of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20.

[0027] The processing liquid valve 21 of this embodiment is configured as an air-operated switching valve (ON / OFF valve) that uses compressed air as the working fluid Lw, and is also referred to as a stop valve or a dispense valve. Under the control of the control unit 93, the pressure of the working fluid Lw supplied to the processing liquid valve 21 is changed, so that the processing liquid valve 21 can switch the flow of the processing liquid Lp in the processing liquid flow path Cp between ON (fully open) and OFF (fully closed). In particular, the processing liquid valve 21 of this embodiment adjusts the opening of the processing liquid flow path Cp to be smaller as the pressure of the working fluid Lw supplied to the processing liquid valve 21 is lower.

[0028] The working fluid Lw is not limited to compressed air, and any fluid (liquid or gas) can be used as the working fluid Lw.

[0029] In this manner, the processing liquid Lp is sent to the discharge nozzle 20 via the processing liquid valve 21 and discharged from the discharge nozzle 20 toward the processing surface Sp of the substrate W.

[0030] A fluid pressure adjusting unit 22 and a fluid pressure measuring unit 23 are provided in the fluid flow path Cw.

[0031] The fluid pressure adjusting unit 22 adjusts the fluctuation behavior of the pressure of the working fluid Lw supplied to the treatment liquid valve 21 in accordance with a variably settable adjustment parameter. Specifically, the fluid pressure adjusting unit 22 can adopt the opening degree of the fluid flow path Cw (for example, the opening degree of an opening / closing device that changes the cross-sectional area of ​​the fluid flow path Cw) as such an adjustment parameter.

[0032] The adjustment parameters of the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22 may be changed manually by an administrator, or may be changed mechanically under the control of the control unit 93. For example, if the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22 is configured with a needle valve, the opening of the fluid flow path Cw can be adjusted by adjusting the rotation (e.g., the number of rotations and / or the rotation angle) of the opening adjustment screw of the needle valve manually or by a dedicated electric device (not shown).

[0033] In this way, the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22, which adjusts the pressure fluctuation behavior of the working fluid Lw supplied to the processing liquid valve 21, functions as a speed controller that controls the flow rate fluctuation of the processing liquid Lp sent from the processing liquid valve 21 to the discharge nozzle 20.

[0034] The fluid pressure measuring unit 23 is provided in a portion of the fluid flow path Cw that is upstream of the treatment liquid valve 21 and downstream of the fluid pressure adjusting unit 22, measures the pressure of the working fluid Lw supplied to the treatment liquid valve 21, and transmits the measurement result to the control unit 93. The terms "upstream" and "downstream" here refer to the flow of the working fluid Lw toward the treatment liquid valve 21 in the fluid flow path Cw.

[0035] The control unit 93 (see FIG. 1) acquires a working fluid parameter (i.e., a damping rate b1 described later) indicating the fluctuation behavior of the pressure of the working fluid Lw supplied to the treatment liquid valve 21 based on the measurement result (i.e., the pressure of the working fluid Lw) of the fluid pressure measurement unit 23. Then, the control unit 93 acquires correlation data between the working fluid parameter (i.e., the damping rate b1) and the adjustment parameter of the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22 (i.e., the opening degree of the fluid flow path Cw).

[0036] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the discharge stop time.

[0037] 2, when the discharge of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 is to be stopped, the control unit 93 controls the fluid supply unit 28 to reduce the pressure of the working fluid Lw that is supplied from the fluid supply unit 28 through the fluid flow path Cw to the treatment liquid valve 21. In this case, it takes a considerable amount of time (i.e., discharge stop time) from when the control unit 93 issues a discharge stop signal to the fluid supply unit 28 (see "Dispense stop" in FIG. 3) until the discharge of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 completely stops.

[0038] This is because the fluctuation behavior of the pressure of the working fluid Lw (i.e., the working fluid Lw supplied to the processing liquid valve 21) in the portion of the fluid flow path Cw between the processing liquid valve 21 and the fluid pressure adjusting unit 22 changes depending on the opening of the fluid flow path Cw adjusted by the fluid pressure adjusting unit 22. Therefore, the speed at which the processing liquid valve 21 completely switches the flow of the processing liquid Lp in the processing liquid flow path Cp from on to off (i.e., the closing speed of the processing liquid valve 21) changes depending on the opening of the fluid flow path Cw adjusted by the fluid pressure adjusting unit 22.

[0039] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the opening degree of the fluid flow path Cw (horizontal axis: "fluid flow path opening degree") adjusted by the fluid pressure adjusting unit 22 and the discharge stop time (vertical axis).

[0040] With respect to the horizontal axis of the graph shown in Fig. 4, the further away from the origin of the graph is the greater the opening of the fluid flow path Cw adjusted by the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22 (i.e., the larger the effective cross-sectional area of ​​the fluid flow path Cw adjusted by the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22). With respect to the vertical axis of the graph shown in Fig. 4, the further away from the origin of the graph is the longer the discharge stop time. Note that in Fig. 4, the "discharge stop time" was obtained by capturing an image of the discharge stop behavior of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 using a high-sensitivity camera when the discharge of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 was stopped, and by checking the captured image data.

[0041] As is clear from Figure 4, there is an exponential correlation between the opening degree of the fluid flow path Cw and the discharge stop time. That is, as the opening degree of the fluid flow path Cw increases, the discharge stop time decreases exponentially, and as the opening degree of the fluid flow path Cw decreases, the discharge stop time increases exponentially.

[0042] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the passage of time ("time"; horizontal axis) and the working fluid pressure (i.e., the pressure of the working fluid Lw supplied to the processing liquid valve 21; vertical axis) measured by the fluid pressure measuring unit 23 when the discharge of the processing liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 is stopped.

[0043] 5, the horizontal axis indicates the timing at which the control unit 93 issues a discharge stop signal to the fluid supply unit 28, with the origin (=0.0 s) being the timing, and the further to the right from the origin, the longer the time that has elapsed since the discharge stop signal was issued. The vertical axis indicates the pressure of the working fluid Lw increases upward.

[0044] 5 shows a number of results ("Qn" (where "n" is an integer between 0 and 20)) obtained by changing the opening of the fluid flow path Cw using the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22. In FIG. 5, the larger the subscript "n" in "Qn," the more the result is obtained when the fluid flow path Cw is opened, and as the value of "n" increases from "Q0" to "Q20," the opening of the fluid flow path Cw is adjusted to be proportionally larger.

[0045] In particular, "Q0" indicates the result when the opening degree of the fluid flow path Cw is "0" and the fluid flow path Cw is in a fully closed state. "Q20" indicates the result when the fluid pressure adjusting unit 22 does not narrow the opening degree of the fluid flow path Cw and the fluid flow path Cw is in a fully open state. Note that although the indications "Q6" to "Q19" are omitted in FIG. 5, the graph lines assigned the indications "Q0" to "Q20" in FIG. 5 are arranged in this order.

[0046] The results shown in FIG. 5 were obtained by using a treatment liquid valve 21 that adjusts the opening of the treatment liquid flow path Cp to be smaller as the pressure of the working fluid Lw supplied to the treatment liquid valve 21 becomes lower. In particular, in order to set the opening of the treatment liquid flow path Cp adjusted by the treatment liquid valve 21 to "0" (fully closed), the pressure of the working fluid Lw (working fluid pressure) supplied to the treatment liquid valve 21 was set to "1.0 atm (=1.01325×10 5 Pa).

[0047] 5, the greater the opening of the fluid flow path Cw adjusted by the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22 (i.e., the larger the subscript "n" in "Qn"), the more rapidly the working fluid pressure decreases in a short period of time. In particular, except when the fluid flow path Cw is fully closed ("Q0"), the pressure of the working fluid Lw tends to decrease exponentially over time.

[0048] Based on the damping curve N(t) expressed by the following equation (1), fitting was performed on the correlation results between "time" and "working fluid pressure" at each opening (see "Q0" to "Q20") of the fluid flow path Cw shown in Figure 5.

[0049] Equation (1) N(t)=b0×exp(b1×t)

[0050] In the above formula (1), "b0" represents the scale (intercept), "b1" represents the decay rate (slope), "t" represents time (elapsed time), and "exp(b1×t)" represents the exponential function "e (b1×t) " represents.

[0051] FIG. 6 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the opening of the fluid flow path Cw adjusted by the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22 ("fluid flow path opening"; horizontal axis) and the damping rate b1 ("damping rate"; vertical axis) for the results shown in FIG.

[0052] On the horizontal axis of the graph shown in Fig. 6, the point indicated by "0" on the left side indicates that the fluid flow path Cw is fully closed, and the further to the right, the greater the opening of the fluid flow path Cw (i.e., the greater the effective cross-sectional area of ​​the fluid flow path Cw adjusted by the fluid pressure adjusting unit 22). On the vertical axis of the graph shown in Fig. 6, the points below the point indicated by "0" on the upper side indicate negative values, and the further down, the greater the absolute value of the attenuation rate b1.

[0053] Although the indications "Q3" to "Q16" are omitted in Figure 6, the plot points assigned the indications "Q0" to "Q20" in Figure 6 are lined up on the graph line in that order.

[0054] FIG. 7 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the "fluid flow path opening" and the "damping rate" for only the results indicated by "Q2" to "Q17" among the results shown in FIG.

[0055] If we exclude from consideration the fully closed and nearly fully open states of the fluid flow path Cw, in which the pressure behavior of the working fluid Lw is likely to become unstable, as is clear from Figure 7, the ``fluid flow path opening'' and the ``damping rate'' show a roughly linear relationship (proportional relationship).

[0056] The attenuation rate b1 represents the gradient of the attenuation curve N(t) in the above formula (1), and is an index indicating the speed at which the treatment liquid flow path Cp is closed by the treatment liquid valve 21, and affects the discharge stop time. As described above, the attenuation rate b1 is a parameter derived from the "pressure value of the working fluid Lw supplied to the treatment liquid valve 21," which is the measurement result of the fluid pressure measurement unit 23, and can be recorded and stored over time as log data.

[0057] Therefore, by utilizing the log data of the attenuation rate b1, it is possible to monitor the closing speed of the processing liquid valve 21, optimize the settings of the adjustment parameters of the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22, and perform other calculation processing and status monitoring.

[0058] 2, the liquid processing method and the discharge adjustment method performed by the processing unit 10 shown in FIG. 2 send the processing liquid Lp to the discharge nozzle 20 via the processing liquid valve 21, and discharge the processing liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 toward the substrate W. Thereafter, in response to a discharge stop signal, the processing liquid Lp sent to the discharge nozzle 20 via the processing liquid valve 21 is restricted, thereby stopping the discharge of the processing liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20. Then, the fluid pressure measurement unit 23 measures the pressure of the working fluid Lw supplied to the processing liquid valve 21, thereby acquiring the attenuation rate b1 indicating the fluctuation behavior of the pressure of the working fluid Lw. Then, correlation data between the attenuation rate b1 and the adjustment parameter (fluid flow path opening) of the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22 is acquired.

[0059] Next, an apparatus and method for determining the behavior of the processing liquid Lp at the time of stopping discharge from the discharge nozzle 20 based on the intensity (light amount) of light reflected from the processing surface Sp of the substrate W will be described.

[0060] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a specific example of the configuration of the processing unit 10. As shown in FIG.

[0061] In the processing unit 10 shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of discharge units 30 (specifically, three discharge units 30) are arranged in a processing chamber 31.

[0062] Each discharge unit 30 includes one or more discharge nozzles 20. Each discharge unit 30 is rotatably provided under the control of the control unit 93, and the discharge nozzles 20 are positioned at a discharge position for discharging the processing liquid Lp from above the substrate W toward the processing surface Sp, and at a retracted position retracted from above the substrate W. Fig. 8 shows a state in which the discharge nozzles 20 of each discharge unit 30 are positioned at the retracted position.

[0063] An openable and closable substrate loading / unloading section 32 is formed in the processing chamber 31. The substrate loading / unloading section 32 opens and closes under the control of a control section 93 (see FIG. 1). The substrate W is moved between the inside and outside of the processing chamber 31 via the open substrate loading / unloading section 32, and is rotatably supported within the processing chamber 31 by a substrate support section (not shown).

[0064] The processing chamber 31 is further provided with a light measurement unit 33 including a light emitter 33a and a light receiver 33b. Under the control of the controller 93, light (detection light) from the light emitter 33a is irradiated onto the processing surface Sp of the substrate W supported by the substrate support in the processing chamber 31, and the light receiver 33b receives reflected light R from the processing surface Sp and repeatedly detects the intensity of the reflected light R over time. The detection light (i.e., reflected light R) here is laser light, LED light, or any other light. The detection result of the intensity of the reflected light R obtained in this manner is sent from the light measurement unit 33 (particularly the light receiver 33b) to the controller 93.

[0065] The control unit 93 determines the discharge state of the processing liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 when the discharge of the processing liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 is stopped based on the detection result of the intensity of the reflected light R acquired by the light measurement unit 33. The intensity of the reflected light R when the processing liquid Lp is not present on the processing surface Sp of the substrate W is stronger than the intensity of the reflected light R when the processing liquid Lp is present on the processing surface Sp. Therefore, based on the detected intensity of the reflected light R, it is possible to determine the state (e.g., amount) of the processing liquid Lp on the processing surface Sp, and therefore the discharge state of the processing liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20.

[0066] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the passage of time ("time"; horizontal axis) and the intensity of reflected light R acquired by light measurement unit 33 ("reflected light intensity"; vertical axis).

[0067] On the horizontal axis of the graph shown in Fig. 9, the further to the right from the position "0" it indicates that a longer time has passed. On the vertical axis of the graph shown in Fig. 9, the further above the position "0" it indicates that a stronger intensity of reflected light R is detected by the light measurement unit 33 (i.e., the light receiving section 33b).

[0068] 9 shows results Pm1 to Pm3 in which the light measurement unit 33 detects and acquires the intensity of reflected light R at different frequencies (detection time intervals). The detection time interval for result Pm1 is shorter than the detection time intervals for results Pm2 and Pm3, for example, 250 μs. The detection time interval for result Pm2 is longer than the detection time interval for results Pm1 and Pm3, for example, 1 ms. The detection time interval for result Pm3 is longer than the detection time interval for result Pm1 and shorter than the detection time interval for Pm2, for example, 500 μs.

[0069] 9 are based on the detection results of reflected light R obtained by the light measurement unit 33 while the substrate W is being rotated by the substrate support part. That is, each of the results Pm1 to Pm3 is obtained under conditions in which the processing liquid Lp on the processing surface Sp is gradually shaken off from the substrate W due to the rotation of the substrate W.

[0070] FIG. 9 shows a time range Tp during which the processing liquid Lp is discharged from the discharge nozzle 20 onto the processing surface Sp of the substrate W.

[0071] 9, the intensity of the reflected light R from the processing surface Sp detected by the light measurement unit 33 decreases corresponding to the time range Tp during which the processing liquid Lp is discharged from the discharge nozzle 20 toward the processing surface Sp of the substrate W. Therefore, based on the detection result of the intensity of the reflected light R from the processing surface Sp obtained by the light measurement unit 33, it is possible to evaluate the discharge state of the processing liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 when the discharge of the processing liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 is stopped.

[0072] 10 and 11 are diagrams showing examples of the relationship between the passage of time ("time"; horizontal axis) and the working fluid pressure Q and the intensity J of the reflected light R ("working fluid pressure and reflected light intensity"; vertical axis) when the discharge of the processing liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 is stopped. FIG. 11 shows the time range before and after the discharge of the processing liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 is completely stopped, and the width of the horizontal axis ("time") per unit time is larger than that in FIG. 10.

[0073] 5 (particularly the result indicated by "Q4"), the working fluid pressure Q in Figures 10 and 11 is based on the measurement result of the fluid pressure measurement unit 23 (see Figure 2), and represents the pressure of the working fluid Lw supplied to the treatment liquid valve 21. On the other hand, the intensity J of the reflected light R in Figures 10 and 11 is the measurement result of the light measurement unit 33 (see Figure 8), and represents the intensity of the reflected light R received by the light receiving unit 33b.

[0074] 10 and 11, the timing at which the control unit 93 issues a discharge stop signal to the fluid supply unit 28 (see "Dispense Stop" in FIGS. 10 and 11) is set to "0.0 s."

[0075] Based on the image data captured by the high-sensitivity camera, the inventors of the present invention confirmed the state of the treatment liquid Lp being discharged from the discharge nozzle 20. As a result, it was found that the state of the treatment liquid Lp being discharged from the discharge nozzle 20 (specifically, the state of the liquid column extending from the discharge nozzle 20) changed suddenly on the order of 0.01 seconds (=10 ms) from an elapsed time of about 0.8 seconds.

[0076] Then, at the timing when the discharge of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 completely stopped, the intensity J of the reflected light R measured by the light measurement unit 33 began to rise rapidly. Strictly speaking, the timing when the intensity J of the reflected light R measured by the light measurement unit 33 started to rise was delayed from the timing when the discharge of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 completely stopped.

[0077] As is clear from the results shown in Figures 10 and 11 above, it takes a considerable amount of time (i.e., the discharge stop time (see Figure 3)) from when the control unit 93 issues a discharge stop signal to the fluid supply unit 28 until the discharge of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 completely stops.

[0078] There is a correlation between the index time (i.e., delay time Td) indicating the time interval from when the discharge stop signal is issued until the intensity J of the reflected light R suddenly increases, and the time (discharge stop time) at which the discharge of the processing liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 completely stops.

[0079] The delay time Td can be expressed, for example, as the time from when the discharge stop signal is issued until the intensity J of the reflected light R detected by the light measurement unit 33 exceeds an intensity reference value. The intensity reference value here is not limited and can be set appropriately by an administrator, and is set to be equal to or less than the intensity of the reflected light R detected by the light measurement unit 33 when no processing liquid Lp is present on the processing surface Sp of the substrate W.

[0080] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the delay time Td (horizontal axis) and the ejection stop time (vertical axis).

[0081] 12, the "discharge stop time" was obtained by capturing an image of the discharge stop behavior of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 when the discharge of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 was stopped using a high-sensitivity camera and checking the captured image data. The "delay time" was obtained based on the detection result of the light measurement unit 33.

[0082] 12, the "delay time" and the "ejection stop time" show a roughly linear relationship (proportional relationship). Therefore, the "delay time" can be used as an index showing the "ejection stop time".

[0083] 12, the RMSE (Root-Mean-Square Error) was somewhat large. However, by setting the measurement time interval of the light measurement unit 33 to be approximately the same as the time order of the liquid column change in the discharge nozzle 20 (10 ms in the above example) (for example, by setting the measurement time interval to 10 ms), the RMSE can be made sufficiently small.

[0084] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the attenuation rate b1 (horizontal axis) and the delay time Td and ejection stop time Ts (vertical axis) in the above formula (1).

[0085] In FIG. 13, the "decay rate" was obtained based on the detection result of the fluid pressure measuring unit 23, and the "delay time" and "discharge stop time" were obtained in the same manner as in FIG. 12 described above.

[0086] On the horizontal axis of the graph shown in Fig. 13, negative values ​​are displayed to the left of the point indicated by "0" on the right, and the absolute value of the attenuation rate b1 increases as you move to the left. On the vertical axis of the graph shown in Fig. 13, the delay time Td and the ejection stop time Ts increase as you move upward from "0.0 s" on the bottom.

[0087] As is clear from FIG. 13, the delay time Td and the ejection stop time Ts each have a specific correlation (for example, an exponential correlation) with the attenuation rate b1.

[0088] 8, a process is performed in which the processing liquid Lp is sent to the discharge nozzle 20 via the processing liquid valve 21, and the processing liquid Lp is discharged from the discharge nozzle 20 toward the processing surface Sp of the substrate W. Thereafter, a process is performed in which the processing liquid Lp sent to the discharge nozzle 20 via the processing liquid valve 21 is restricted in response to a discharge stop signal, thereby stopping the discharge of the processing liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20. Meanwhile, a detection light is irradiated onto the processing surface Sp, and the intensity of the reflected light R from the processing surface Sp is detected over time, and the discharge state of the processing liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 at the time when the discharge of the processing liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 is stopped is determined based on the detection result of the intensity of the reflected light R.

[0089] For example, it is also possible to determine the discharge state of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 when the discharge of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 is stopped based on the detection result of the intensity of the reflected light R at the time when a reference time has elapsed since the timing when the discharge stop signal was issued. The reference time here is not limited and can be set appropriately by the administrator, and for example, the cut-off reference time may be set to a time equal to or longer than the above-mentioned delay time Td.

[0090] Next, an application example of the above-mentioned "technology for grasping the behavior of the treatment liquid discharge stop from the discharge nozzle" will be described.

[0091] Each application example described below is based on the above-described technology, and the technical content already described will not be explained again. Furthermore, with regard to the technology common to the application examples, the technical content explained in the preceding application example will not be explained again in the application example described later. Furthermore, the application examples may be combined in part or in whole as appropriate.

[0092] [First application example] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the first application example.

[0093] In this example, whether the adjustment parameter of the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22 (opening degree of the fluid flow path Cw) is appropriate is determined based on the “decrease rate b1 of the pressure of the working fluid Lw” when the discharge of the processing liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 is stopped.

[0094] That is, first, under the control of the control unit 93, the pressure of the working fluid Lw supplied from the fluid supply unit 28 to the fluid flow path Cw is adjusted, and a process (discharge stop process) is performed to stop the discharge of the processing liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 (S1 in Figure 14).

[0095] During this discharge stop process, the pressure of the working fluid Lw supplied to the treatment liquid valve 21 is measured by the fluid pressure measuring unit 23 , and the measurement result is sent from the fluid pressure measuring unit 23 to the control unit 93 .

[0096] Then, the control unit 93 calculates (S2) a decay rate b1 of the pressure of the working fluid Lw while the discharge stop process is being performed, based on the measurement results of the fluid pressure measurement unit 23. Specifically, the decay rate b1 is calculated by fitting the correlation result (see FIG. 5) between "time" and "working fluid pressure" acquired based on the measurement results of the fluid pressure measurement unit 23, based on the decay curve N(t) expressed by the above formula (1).

[0097] The control unit 93 then determines whether the calculated attenuation rate b1 is within an allowable range (S3). The allowable range here can be determined based on any method, and may be determined, for example, based on correlation data obtained in the past. That is, the discharge state of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 at the time when the discharge of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 is stopped may be determined based on whether the calculated attenuation rate b1 is within an allowable range determined based on past correlation data.

[0098] As an example, an "initial adjustment value of the opening of the fluid flow path Cw" corresponding to the "damping rate b1" is obtained based on correlation data (normal correlation data) between the "opening of the fluid flow path Cw adjusted by the fluid pressure adjusting unit 22" and the "damping rate b1" acquired during normal operation of the processing unit 10. Then, a range of the damping rate b1 corresponding to a range of ±P1% ("P1" is an arbitrary value) of the initial adjustment value is acquired based on the normal correlation data, and may be set as the "allowable range" used in the above determination (S3).

[0099] If the above judgment determines that the attenuation rate b1 is within the allowable range (Yes in S3), the liquid processing continues under the control of the control unit 93, and the processing liquid Lp is ejected from the ejection nozzle 20 toward the substrate W as necessary (S4).

[0100] On the other hand, if it is determined that the attenuation rate b1 is not within the allowable range (No in S3), an alarm is output under the control of the control unit 93 to prompt the administrator to review the adjustment of the device settings (maintenance) (S5).

[0101] The specific form of the alarm is not limited. Typically, an alarm is issued to the administrator by displaying an alarm message on a display (not shown) or sounding an alarm from an audio device (not shown).

[0102] When the administrator recognizes such an alarm, he or she reconsiders the adjustment of the device settings of the processing unit 10. Typically, the adjustment parameters of the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22 (the opening degree of the fluid flow path Cw) are adjusted so that the attenuation rate b1 falls within an allowable range. In this way, the setting of the adjustment parameters of the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22 is adjusted based on the determination result of the discharge state of the processing liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 when the discharge of the processing liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 is stopped.

[0103] As described above, the adjustment parameter (opening of the fluid flow path Cw) of the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22 is adjusted based on the attenuation rate b1 in light of past correlation data between the attenuation rate b1 (working fluid parameter) and the adjustment parameter (opening of the fluid flow path Cw) of the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22. That is, a step of determining the discharge state of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 when the discharge of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 is stopped is performed based on whether or not the attenuation rate b1 is within the allowable range.

[0104] As described above, based on the "log data of the pressure decay rate b1 of the working fluid Lw" obtained from the measurement results of the fluid pressure measurement unit 23, fluctuations in the discharge stop time can be monitored, and the treatment liquid valve 21, and ultimately the discharge of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle 20, can be digitally managed.

[0105] [Second application example] Fig. 15 is a diagram showing a processing flow of application example 2. Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the correlation between the attenuation rate b1 (horizontal axis) and the delay time Td (vertical axis).

[0106] In this example, the discharge state of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 at the time when the discharge of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 is stopped is determined based on the delay time Td, and the adjustment parameters of the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22 are adjusted. In this way, the discharge stop time is optimally adjusted.

[0107] That is, first, the control unit 93 acquires a plurality of pieces of learning data relating to the correlation between the delay time Td and the attenuation rate b1 (S11 in FIG. 15).

[0108] Specifically, the discharge stop process is performed multiple times, and in each discharge stop process, the delay time Td and the decay rate b1 are acquired and stored as records in the storage unit. For example, in the first discharge stop process, a first delay time and a first decay rate are acquired, in the second discharge stop process, a second delay time and a second decay rate are acquired, and in the third discharge stop process, a third delay time and a third decay rate are acquired.

[0109] Then, the control unit 93 acquires correlation data between the delay time Td and the attenuation rate b1 from the acquired plurality of learning data (S12). For example, as shown in Fig. 16, a correlation data line between the delay time Td and the attenuation rate b1 is acquired from plot data based on the first to third attenuation rates and the first to third delay times. The correlation data line here can be derived based on any method, and may be derived, for example, by fitting using a known model formula (model curve).

[0110] Then, the control unit 93 calculates the attenuation rate corresponding to the adjusted delay time (that is, the target attenuation rate) (S13).

[0111] The adjusted delay time here is a delay time corresponding to a "target discharge stop time" set by, for example, an administrator, and the delay time can be acquired based on "correlation data between delay time Td and discharge stop time (see FIG. 12)." Then, a target decay rate corresponding to the adjusted delay time is acquired based on "correlation data between delay time Td and decay rate b1 (see FIG. 16)" acquired in the above-mentioned processing step S12.

[0112] Then, the opening of the fluid flow path Cw is adjusted to correspond to the target damping rate (S14). That is, based on the "correlation data between the opening of the fluid flow path Cw and the damping rate b1 (see FIGS. 6 and 7)," the opening of the fluid flow path Cw corresponding to the target damping rate is acquired, and the adjustment parameters of the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22 are adjusted to realize the opening of the fluid flow path Cw.

[0113] This processing step S14 may be performed entirely or partially under the control of the control unit 93. For example, both the acquisition of the adjustment parameter (opening degree of the fluid flow path Cw) corresponding to the target damping rate and the adjustment of the adjustment parameter of the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22 may be performed mechanically under the control of the control unit 93. Alternatively, the acquisition of the adjustment parameter (opening degree of the fluid flow path Cw) corresponding to the target damping rate may be performed by the control unit 93, but the adjustment of the adjustment parameter of the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22 may be performed manually by an administrator.

[0114] Thereafter, discharge stop processing is performed under the control of the control unit 93, and the delay time Td is acquired based on the detection result of the light measurement unit 33 (see FIG. 8) (S15). That is, the delay time Td corresponding to the adjustment parameter (opening degree of the fluid flow path Cw) of the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22 adjusted in the above processing step S14 is acquired based on the detection result of the light measurement unit 33.

[0115] Then, the control unit 93 determines whether or not the delay time Td acquired in the processing step S15 is within an allowable range (S16). That is, the discharge state of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 at the time when the discharge of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 is stopped is determined based on whether or not the delay time Td is within an allowable range.

[0116] The allowable range here is not limited and can be set by, for example, an administrator. For example, the allowable range can be determined based on the adjustment delay time (see FIG. 16) used when calculating the target attenuation rate in the above processing step S13. As an example, a range of ±P2% ("P2" is an arbitrary value) of the adjustment delay time may be set as the "allowable range" used in this processing step S16.

[0117] If it is determined that the delay time Td is within the allowable range (Yes in S16), the adjustment regarding the discharge of the target discharge nozzle 20 is completed, and under the control of the control unit 93, the attenuation rate b1 and delay time Td at the time of completion of the adjustment are stored in the memory unit.

[0118] Then, as necessary, discharge adjustment is performed on the next discharge nozzle 20 to be adjusted based on the above-described process steps S11 to S18. By performing discharge adjustment on the multiple discharge nozzles 20 in this manner, it becomes possible to reduce differences in the discharge characteristics of the treatment liquid Lp between the discharge nozzles 20 and to uniformly discharge the treatment liquid Lp from the multiple discharge nozzles 20.

[0119] On the other hand, if it is determined that the delay time Td is not within the allowable range (No in S16), the control unit 93 adds the ejection data used at the time of the determination in processing step S16 to the learning data (S17), and the above processing step S12 is performed again.

[0120] Specifically, as the discharge data, the target decay rate calculated in the processing step S13 and the delay time Td acquired in the processing step S15 are newly added as learning data indicating the correlation between the decay rate b1 and the delay time Td. As a result, in the processing step S12 that is subsequently performed again, correlation data reflecting the newly added learning data (i.e., updated correlation data) is acquired, and the subsequent processing steps S13 to S16 are performed based on the updated correlation data.

[0121] As a result, the setting of the adjustment parameter (opening degree of the fluid flow path Cw) of the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22 is adjusted based on the judgment result of the discharge state of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 when the discharge of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 is stopped.

[0122] [Third application example] Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the attenuation rate b1 (horizontal axis) and the delay time Td and ejection stop time Ts (vertical axis) Fig. 18 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the third application example.

[0123] In this example, the presence or absence of an abnormality in the processing liquid valve 21 and the fluid pressure adjusting unit 22 is determined by comparing the previously acquired "normal correlation data between the attenuation rate b1 and the delay time Td" with the actually acquired "correlation data between the attenuation rate b1 and the delay time Td." This makes it possible to detect a malfunction in the processing liquid valve 21 and the fluid pressure adjusting unit 22.

[0124] When the discharge stop process is performed normally and appropriately, the correlation between the pressure attenuation rate b1 of the working fluid Lw supplied to the processing liquid valve 21, the delay time Td, and the discharge stop time Ts is represented, for example, by the graph line (normal graph line) shown in Figure 17.

[0125] On the other hand, the attenuation rate b1, delay time Td, and discharge stop time Ts obtained when an abnormality occurs in the discharge stop process deviate from such a normal graph line (see symbol "E" in FIG. 17). Therefore, when the actually obtained "correlation data of the attenuation rate b1 and the delay time Td" deviates significantly from the normal graph line, it is estimated that an abnormality such as a breakdown has occurred in the processing liquid valve 21 and / or the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22.

[0126] Specifically, first, the processing liquid valve 21 is operated under the control of the control unit 93 to perform a discharge stop process for stopping the discharge of the processing liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 (S21 in FIG. 18).

[0127] Then, the control unit 93 acquires the attenuation rate b1 and the delay time Td based on the detection results of the fluid pressure measurement unit 23 and the light measurement unit 33 obtained while the discharge stop process is being performed (S22).

[0128] The control unit 93 then determines whether the correlation data between the attenuation rate b1 and the delay time Td thus obtained is within an allowable range (S23). That is, the discharge state of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 at the time when the discharge of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 is stopped is determined based on whether the combined data of the attenuation rate b1 and the delay time Td is within the allowable range.

[0129] The allowable range here is not limited and can be set by, for example, an administrator. For example, the allowable range can be determined based on the distance (e.g., the shortest distance) on the graph between the "normal graph line related to the attenuation rate b1 and the delay time Td" obtained in advance and the "plot position E of the obtained attenuation rate b1 and the delay time Td."

[0130] In the above judgment, if it is determined that the correlation data between the attenuation rate b1 and the delay time Td is within the acceptable range (Yes in S23), the liquid processing continues under the control of the control unit 93, and the processing liquid Lp is ejected from the ejection nozzle 20 as necessary (S24).

[0131] On the other hand, if it is determined that the acquired correlation data between the attenuation rate b1 and the delay time Td is outside the allowable range (No in S23), an alarm is issued (S25) under the control of the control unit 93. Such an alarm notifies the administrator of the abnormality in the processing liquid valve 21, and calls to mind the need to review the adjustment (maintenance) of the fluid pressure adjusting unit 22.

[0132] [Fourth application example] 19 shows an example of the relationship between the passage of time (horizontal axis) and the working fluid pressure Q and the intensity J of the reflected light R (vertical axis) when the discharge of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 is stopped, particularly when there is no unintended falling of droplets from the discharge nozzle 20. Fig. 20 shows an example of the relationship between the passage of time (horizontal axis) and the working fluid pressure Q and the intensity J of the reflected light R (vertical axis) when the discharge of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 is stopped, particularly when there is unintended falling of droplets from the discharge nozzle 20.

[0133] During the discharge stop time (see Figure 3) when the process of stopping the discharge of the processing liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 is being performed, if droplets of the processing liquid Lp unintentionally fall from the discharge nozzle 20 and land on the processing surface Sp of the substrate W, the intensity of the reflected light R from the processing surface Sp will be affected.

[0134] For example, until just before such droplets land on the processing surface Sp, the amount of processing liquid Lp on the processing surface Sp gradually decreases due to the rotation of the substrate W, and the intensity of the reflected light R detected by the light measurement unit 33 tends to increase. In such a situation, if a droplet of the processing liquid Lp unintentionally lands on the processing surface Sp, the intensity of the reflected light R detected by the light measurement unit 33 tends to decrease once and then increase again (see symbol "Jd" in Figure 20).

[0135] If droplets of the treatment liquid Lp unintentionally fall from the discharge nozzle 20 while the discharge stop process is being performed in this way, the intensity of the reflected light R detected by the light measurement unit 33 will exhibit unstable behavior.

[0136] Therefore, the control unit 93 analyzes the intensity of the reflected light R from the processing surface Sp of the substrate W based on the detection results of the light measurement unit 33 obtained while the discharge stop processing is being performed, and monitors whether or not droplets of the processing liquid Lp are falling from the discharge nozzle 20.

[0137] Specifically, the discharge state of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 when the discharge of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 is stopped is determined based on the detection result of the intensity of the reflected light R from the timing when the discharge stop signal is issued until the lapse of the determination reference time. The determination reference time here is not limited and can be set appropriately by the administrator. For example, the determination reference time may be longer than the discharge stop time so as to cover the entire period from the timing when the discharge stop signal is issued until the discharge of the treatment liquid Lp from the discharge nozzle 20 completely stops.

[0138] There are various modes of droplets that unintentionally fall from the discharge nozzle 20, and the "disturbance in the intensity of the reflected light R detected by the light measurement unit 33" caused by such droplets falling is also not constant. Therefore, it is preferable that the control unit 93 monitors whether or not droplets of the treatment liquid Lp are falling from the discharge nozzle 20 by performing an analysis based on the magnitude of the intensity of the reflected light R acquired by the light measurement unit 33, its behavior of change over time, and / or any other arbitrary viewpoint.

[0139] When unintended droplets falling from the discharge nozzle 20 are detected as described above, the control unit 93 can perform any desired processing. Typically, an alarm is issued, or information indicating the fact that droplets have fallen unintendedly and identification information of the substrate W on which the droplets land are stored as a record in the storage unit.

[0140] Based on such an alarm and the recorded information in the memory unit, the manager can recognize the fact that droplets have unintentionally fallen from the discharge nozzle 20, and can appropriately perform maintenance on the treatment liquid valve 21 and the fluid pressure adjusting unit 22. Note that such recorded information may be read out from the memory unit as needed and used for any other processing.

[0141] It should be noted that there may be cases where there is no particular problem in terms of liquid processing even if unintentional microdroplets fall from the discharge nozzle 20 several times (for example, once or twice). If an alarm is issued in such a case, it may lead to unnecessary interruption of the liquid processing, which may actually hinder the liquid processing.

[0142] Therefore, the control unit 93 may perform control to issue an alarm if the number of times that the intensity of the reflected light R detected by the light measurement unit 33 exceeds the judgment reference value exceeds the judgment reference number between the time when the discharge stop signal is issued and the time when the judgment reference time has elapsed.

[0143] The judgment reference value and the judgment reference count here are values ​​that can be set appropriately by the administrator, and it is preferable that the judgment reference value and the judgment reference count be determined based on a value and count that do not substantially adversely affect the liquid processing. By appropriately setting the judgment reference value, it is possible to prevent an alarm from being issued and to prevent the liquid processing from being hindered if the amount of unintended droplets from the discharge nozzle 20 is so small that it is not a problem. Similarly, by appropriately setting the judgment reference count, it is possible to prevent an alarm from being issued and to prevent the liquid processing from being hindered if the number of unintended droplets falling from the discharge nozzle 20 is so small that it is not a problem.

[0144] [5th ​​application example] Fig. 21 is a diagram showing the processing flow of the fifth application example. Fig. 22 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the passage of time (horizontal axis) and the attenuation rate b1 / delay time Td (vertical axis), particularly showing a case where there is no significant difference in the fluctuations over time of the attenuation rate and the delay time. Fig. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between time (horizontal axis) and the attenuation rate b1 / delay time Td (vertical axis), particularly showing a case where there is a significant difference in the fluctuations over time of the attenuation rate and the delay time.

[0145] Regarding the vertical axis in FIGS. 22 and 23, the indication "decay rate / delay time" indicates that the parameter assigned to the vertical axis is "decay rate" or "delay time."

[0146] In this example, whether or not the adjustment parameters of the fluid pressure adjuster 22 need to be readjusted is determined based on the attenuation rate b1 and the delay time Td, and changes over time in the processing liquid valve 21 and the fluid pressure adjuster 22 are evaluated.

[0147] That is, the substrate W is transported to the substrate support section in the processing unit 10 (S31 in FIG. 21), and the processing liquid Lp is discharged from the discharge nozzle 20 and applied to the processing surface Sp of the substrate W (S32). When the processing liquid Lp is applied to the processing surface Sp, the substrate W is rotated by the substrate support section, and the processing liquid Lp is gradually shaken off from the processing surface Sp by the rotation of the substrate W. After the substrate W is supported by the substrate support section, and before the processing liquid Lp is applied to the processing surface Sp, the output setting of a sensor (wafer sensor) installed in the processing unit 10 may be adjusted.

[0148] Thereafter, under the control of the control unit 93, when the discharge stop process is performed as described above, the attenuation rate b1 and delay time Td are acquired, and the acquired attenuation rate b1 and delay time Td are stored and recorded in the memory unit (S33).

[0149] Thereafter, the control unit 93 determines whether the attenuation rate b1 and the delay time Td are within the allowable range (S34). The specific determination method here is not limited, and it may be determined whether each of the attenuation rate b1 and the delay time Td is within the allowable range, or it may be determined whether the combined data of the attenuation rate b1 and the delay time Td is within the allowable range (see FIG. 17).

[0150] If the attenuation rate b1 and the delay time Td are not within the allowable range (No in S34), an alarm (readjustment alarm) is issued under the control of the control unit 93 (S35), and the administrator is prompted to adjust (perform maintenance on) the processing liquid valve 21 and / or the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22.

[0151] If the attenuation rate b1 and the delay time Td are within the allowable range (Yes in S34), the control unit 93 determines whether there is a significant difference in the fluctuations over time of the attenuation rate b1 and / or the delay time Td (S36).

[0152] When there is no significant difference in the fluctuations over time of the attenuation rate b1 and / or the delay time Td, the actual values ​​of the attenuation rate b1 and / or the delay time Td obtained multiple times over time are scattered evenly around the adjusted value within the allowable range, as shown in Fig. 22. On the other hand, when there is a significant difference in the fluctuations over time of the attenuation rate b1 and / or the delay time Td, the actual values ​​of the attenuation rate b1 and / or the delay time Td obtained multiple times over time gradually deviate from the adjusted value over time, as shown in Fig. 23.

[0153] There are no particular limitations on the method for determining whether there is a significant difference in the time-dependent fluctuations of the attenuation rate b1 and / or the delay time Td, but typically, the presence or absence of such a significant difference can be determined based on the magnitude of the slope of the regression line.

[0154] For example, if the absolute value of the slope of the corresponding regression line calculated from values ​​acquired over time for the attenuation rate b1 and / or the delay time Td is greater than the significance criterion value, it can be determined that there is a significant difference in the fluctuations over time of the attenuation rate b1 and / or the delay time Td. On the other hand, if the absolute value of the slope of the corresponding regression line calculated from values ​​acquired over time for the attenuation rate b1 and / or the delay time Td is equal to or less than the significance criterion value, it can be determined that there is no significant difference in the fluctuations over time of the attenuation rate b1 and / or the delay time Td. The significance criterion value here can be set appropriately by the administrator, and any value greater than 0 can be used as the significance criterion value.

[0155] If there is no significant difference in the temporal fluctuations of the attenuation rate b1 and the delay time Td (No in S36), the processing unit 10 performs normal operation under the control of the control unit 93 (S38).

[0156] On the other hand, if there is a significant difference in the fluctuations over time of the attenuation rate b1 and the delay time Td (Yes in S36), an alarm (alarm suggesting a change over time) is issued by the control unit 93. In this case, the control unit 93 also estimates the time when the attenuation rate b1 and / or the delay time Td are expected to deviate from the allowable range (expected time to deviate from the allowable range) (S37).

[0157] The method for calculating the expected deviation time from the allowable range is not limited. For example, as shown in Fig. 23, the expected deviation time from the allowable range may be the time indicated by the intersection of an extension of a regression line calculated from values ​​acquired over time for the attenuation rate b1 and / or the delay time Td with an upper threshold or a lower threshold set based on the adjustment value. The upper threshold and the lower threshold here are not limited and can be set appropriately by the administrator.

[0158] Based on the alarm indicating changes over time and the estimated time of deviation from the expected acceptable range, the administrator can understand the changes over time in the processing liquid valve 21 and the fluid pressure adjustment unit 22, and can take measures such as maintenance as necessary.

[0159] As described above, in this example, a step of acquiring time-dependent information suggesting a time-dependent change in the processing liquid valve 21 is performed based on a time-dependent change in the attenuation rate b1 and / or the delay time Td.

[0160] The above-described series of steps S31 to S38 can check for abnormalities in the processing liquid valve 21 and the fluid pressure adjuster 22, and can predict when the abnormality will occur. The above-described series of steps S31 to S38 can be performed at any timing when it is necessary to check for abnormalities and predict when the abnormality will occur, or can be performed periodically. For example, the above-described series of steps S31 to S38 can be performed when the processing unit 10 is started up (which can include when the processing unit returns from an idling state), immediately after a maintenance process, or immediately after a predetermined number or number of lots of substrates W have been continuously subjected to liquid processing.

[0161] It should be noted that the embodiments and modifications disclosed in this specification are merely illustrative in all respects and should not be construed as limiting. The above-described embodiments and modifications may be omitted, substituted, and modified in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. For example, the above-described embodiments and modifications may be combined in whole or in part, and embodiments other than those described above may be combined with the above-described embodiments or modifications. Furthermore, the effects of the present disclosure described in this specification are merely illustrative, and other effects may be obtained.

[0162] The technical category that embodies the above technical idea is not limited. For example, the above technical idea may be embodied by a computer program that causes a computer to execute one or more procedures (steps) included in a method of manufacturing or using the above device. The above technical idea may also be embodied by a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium on which such a computer program is recorded.

Claims

1. a step of sending a processing liquid to a discharge nozzle via a processing liquid valve and discharging the processing liquid from the discharge nozzle toward a substrate, wherein the processing liquid valve controls a flow of the processing liquid in a flow path connected to the discharge nozzle in accordance with a pressure of a working fluid supplied, and a fluid pressure adjusting unit adjusts a fluctuation behavior of the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the processing liquid valve in accordance with a variably settable adjustment parameter; a step of restricting the treatment liquid sent to the discharge nozzle via the treatment liquid valve to stop the discharge of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle; acquiring correlation data between a working fluid parameter indicating a fluctuation behavior of the pressure of the working fluid, the working fluid parameter being acquired by a fluid pressure measurement unit measuring the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the treatment liquid valve, and the adjustment parameter; determining a discharge state of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle when the discharge of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle is stopped based on whether the working fluid parameter is within an allowable range; A liquid processing method comprising:

2. a step of sending a processing liquid to a discharge nozzle via a processing liquid valve and discharging the processing liquid from the discharge nozzle toward a substrate, wherein the processing liquid valve controls a flow of the processing liquid in a flow path connected to the discharge nozzle in accordance with a pressure of a working fluid supplied, and a fluid pressure adjusting unit adjusts a fluctuation behavior of the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the processing liquid valve in accordance with a variably settable adjustment parameter; a step of restricting the treatment liquid sent to the discharge nozzle via the treatment liquid valve to stop the discharge of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle; acquiring correlation data between a working fluid parameter indicating a fluctuation behavior of the pressure of the working fluid, the working fluid parameter being acquired by a fluid pressure measurement unit measuring the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the treatment liquid valve, and the adjustment parameter; acquiring time-varying information indicating a time-varying change of the treatment liquid valve based on the time-varying change of the working fluid parameter; A liquid processing method comprising:

3. 3. The liquid processing method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of adjusting the adjustment parameter based on the working fluid parameter in light of the past correlation data.

4. The liquid processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the allowable range is determined based on the correlation data previously obtained.

5. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising issuing an alarm if the working fluid parameter falls outside the acceptable range.

6. a process of sending a processing liquid to a discharge nozzle via a processing liquid valve and discharging the processing liquid from the discharge nozzle toward a processing surface of a substrate, wherein the processing liquid valve controls a flow of the processing liquid in a flow path connected to the discharge nozzle in accordance with a pressure of a working fluid supplied, and a fluid pressure adjusting unit adjusts a fluctuation behavior of the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the processing liquid valve in accordance with a variably settable adjustment parameter; a step of restricting the treatment liquid sent to the discharge nozzle via the treatment liquid valve in response to a discharge stop signal, thereby stopping the discharge of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle; a step of irradiating the processing surface with light, detecting the intensity of the light reflected from the processing surface over time, and determining the discharge state of the processing liquid from the discharge nozzle at the time when the discharge of the processing liquid from the discharge nozzle is stopped based on the detection result of the intensity of the reflected light; Including, A liquid processing method, wherein the intensity of the reflected light when the processing liquid is not present on the processing surface is stronger than the intensity of the reflected light when the processing liquid is present on the processing surface.

7. a process of sending a processing liquid to a discharge nozzle via a processing liquid valve and discharging the processing liquid from the discharge nozzle toward a processing surface of a substrate, wherein the processing liquid valve controls a flow of the processing liquid in a flow path connected to the discharge nozzle in accordance with a pressure of a working fluid supplied, and a fluid pressure adjusting unit adjusts a fluctuation behavior of the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the processing liquid valve in accordance with a variably settable adjustment parameter; a step of restricting the treatment liquid sent to the discharge nozzle via the treatment liquid valve in response to a discharge stop signal, thereby stopping the discharge of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle; a step of irradiating the processing surface with light, detecting the intensity of the light reflected from the processing surface over time, and determining the discharge state of the processing liquid from the discharge nozzle at the time when the discharge of the processing liquid from the discharge nozzle is stopped based on the detection result of the intensity of the reflected light; Including, A liquid processing method in which the ejection state of the processing liquid from the ejection nozzle when the ejection of the processing liquid from the ejection nozzle is stopped is determined based on a delay time indicating the time from the timing when the ejection stop signal is issued to the timing when the intensity of the reflected light exceeds an intensity reference value.

8. The liquid processing method according to claim 7 , wherein the discharge state of the processing liquid from the discharge nozzle when the discharge of the processing liquid from the discharge nozzle is stopped is determined based on whether the delay time is within an allowable range.

9. 8. The liquid processing method according to claim 7, wherein the discharge state of the processing liquid from the discharge nozzle when the discharge of the processing liquid from the discharge nozzle is stopped is determined based on a working fluid parameter indicating a fluctuation behavior of the pressure of the working fluid obtained by a fluid pressure measuring unit measuring the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the processing liquid valve, and on whether the delay time is within an allowable range.

10. 8. The liquid processing method according to claim 6, wherein the ejection state of the processing liquid from the ejection nozzle when the ejection of the processing liquid from the ejection nozzle is stopped is determined based on the detection result of the intensity of the reflected light at a point in time when a reference time has elapsed from the timing when the ejection stop signal is issued.

11. 8. The liquid processing method according to claim 6, wherein the ejection state of the processing liquid from the ejection nozzle when the ejection of the processing liquid from the ejection nozzle is stopped is determined based on the detection result of the intensity of the reflected light from the timing when the ejection stop signal is issued until a judgment reference time has elapsed.

12. 8. The liquid processing method according to claim 6, further comprising a step of issuing an alarm when the number of times that the intensity of the reflected light exceeds the judgment reference value exceeds a judgment reference number during the period from the timing when the discharge stop signal is issued until the judgment reference time has elapsed.

13. The liquid processing method according to claim 7 , further comprising the step of acquiring time-dependent information suggesting a change over time in the processing liquid valve based on a change over time in the delay time.

14. a step of sending a treatment liquid to a discharge nozzle via a treatment liquid valve and discharging the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle, wherein the treatment liquid valve controls a flow of the treatment liquid in a flow path connected to the discharge nozzle in accordance with a pressure of a working fluid supplied, and a fluid pressure adjusting unit adjusts a fluctuation behavior of the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the treatment liquid valve in accordance with a variably settable adjustment parameter; a step of restricting the treatment liquid sent to the discharge nozzle via the treatment liquid valve to stop the discharge of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle; acquiring correlation data between a working fluid parameter indicating a fluctuation behavior of the pressure of the working fluid, the working fluid parameter being acquired by a fluid pressure measurement unit measuring the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the treatment liquid valve, and the adjustment parameter; adjusting the settings of the adjustment parameters based on the correlation data; determining a discharge state of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle when the discharge of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle is stopped based on whether the working fluid parameter is within an allowable range; A discharge adjustment method including:

15. a process of sending a processing liquid to a discharge nozzle via a processing liquid valve and discharging the processing liquid from the discharge nozzle toward a processing surface of a substrate, wherein the processing liquid valve controls a flow of the processing liquid in a flow path connected to the discharge nozzle in accordance with a pressure of a working fluid supplied, and a fluid pressure adjusting unit adjusts a fluctuation behavior of the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the processing liquid valve in accordance with a variably settable adjustment parameter; a step of restricting the treatment liquid sent to the discharge nozzle via the treatment liquid valve in response to a discharge stop signal, thereby stopping the discharge of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle; a step of irradiating the processing surface with light, detecting the intensity of the light reflected from the processing surface over time, and determining the discharge state of the processing liquid from the discharge nozzle at the time when the discharge of the processing liquid from the discharge nozzle is stopped based on the detection result of the intensity of the reflected light; adjusting the setting of the adjustment parameter based on a determination result of a discharge state of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle when the discharge of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle is stopped; Including, The discharge adjusting method, wherein the intensity of the reflected light when the processing liquid is not present on the processing surface is stronger than the intensity of the reflected light when the processing liquid is present on the processing surface.

16. a discharge nozzle that discharges a processing liquid toward the substrate; a treatment liquid valve that controls the flow of the treatment liquid in a flow path connected to the discharge nozzle in accordance with the pressure of the supplied working fluid; a fluid pressure adjusting unit that adjusts the fluctuation behavior of the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the processing liquid valve in accordance with a variably settable adjustment parameter; a fluid pressure measuring unit that measures the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the treatment liquid valve; a control unit that acquires correlation data between a working fluid parameter that indicates a fluctuation behavior of the pressure of the working fluid, the working fluid parameter being acquired by the fluid pressure measurement unit measuring the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the treatment liquid valve, and the adjustment parameter; Equipped with The control unit determines a discharge state of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle when the discharge of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle is stopped based on whether the working fluid parameter is within an allowable range.

17. a discharge nozzle that discharges a processing liquid toward a processing surface of a substrate; a discharge valve that stops the discharge of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle by restricting the treatment liquid sent to the discharge nozzle in response to a discharge stop signal; a light detection unit that irradiates the processing surface with light and detects the intensity of reflected light from the processing surface over time; a control unit that determines a discharge state of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle when the discharge of the treatment liquid from the discharge nozzle is stopped based on a detection result of the intensity of the reflected light obtained by the light detection unit; Equipped with A liquid processing apparatus, wherein the intensity of the reflected light when the processing liquid is not present on the processing surface is stronger than the intensity of the reflected light when the processing liquid is present on the processing surface.

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