SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD

Abstract

A substrate processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a holding unit (31), a liquid supply unit (40), a film thickness measurement unit, and a control unit (18). The holding unit (31) holds and rotates a substrate. The liquid supply unit (40) supplies a processing liquid to a substrate held by the holding unit (31). The film thickness measurement unit measures the film thickness of the processing liquid on the entire upper surface of the substrate. The control unit (18) controls the above units. In addition, the control unit (18) controls at least one among the rotation speed of the substrate and the supply amount of the processing liquid so that the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points on the substrate is a prescribed value or less.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The disclosed embodiments relate to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, in single-wafer processing in which substrates such as semiconductor wafers (hereinafter also referred to as wafers) are processed one by one, a technique for performing liquid processing over the entire upper surface of a substrate is known (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-91816 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides a technique that enables a desired liquid treatment to be performed with high precision over the entire upper surface of a substrate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A substrate processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a holding unit, a liquid supply unit, a film thickness measurement unit, and a control unit. The holding unit holds and rotates a substrate. The liquid supply unit supplies a processing liquid to the substrate held by the holding unit. The film thickness measurement unit measures the film thickness of the processing liquid over the entire upper surface of the substrate. The control unit controls each unit. The control unit also controls at least one of the rotation speed of the substrate and the supply amount of the processing liquid so that the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points on the substrate is equal to or less than a given value. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present disclosure, desired liquid processing can be performed with high precision over the entire upper surface of a substrate. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a specific configuration of a processing unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the control device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a film thickness distribution of a processing liquid over the entire upper surface of a wafer in the liquid processing according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the distribution of the amount of etching over the entire upper surface of a wafer in the liquid processing according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a control process executed by the substrate processing system according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing another example of the procedure of the control process executed by the substrate processing system according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method disclosed herein will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described below. It should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the dimensional relationships and ratios of elements may differ from the actual situation. Furthermore, the dimensional relationships and ratios may differ between the drawings.

[0009] Conventionally, in single-wafer processing in which substrates such as semiconductor wafers (hereinafter also referred to as wafers) are processed one by one, a technique for performing liquid processing over the entire upper surface of the substrate has been known. In this conventional technique, when localized liquid breaks of the processing liquid occur on the wafer, the liquid processing is controlled to eliminate such liquid breaks.

[0010] However, simply suppressing localized breakup of the processing liquid can sometimes make it difficult to perform the desired liquid processing with precision over the entire upper surface of the wafer.

[0011] Therefore, there is a need for a technology that overcomes the above-mentioned problems and enables the desired liquid processing to be performed with high precision over the entire upper surface of a substrate.

[0012] <Outline of the substrate processing system> First, a schematic configuration of a substrate processing system 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the substrate processing system 1 according to an embodiment. The substrate processing system 1 is an example of a substrate processing apparatus. In the following, to clarify the positional relationship, mutually orthogonal X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are defined, and the positive direction of the Z-axis is defined as the vertically upward direction.

[0013] 1, the substrate processing system 1 includes a loading / unloading station 2 and a processing station 3. The loading / unloading station 2 and the processing station 3 are provided adjacent to each other.

[0014] The carry-in / out station 2 includes a FOUP placement section 11 and a transport section 12. On the FOUP placement section 11, a plurality of FOUPs H are placed, each accommodating a plurality of substrates, in this embodiment, semiconductor wafers W (hereinafter referred to as wafers W), in a horizontal position.

[0015] The transfer section 12 is provided adjacent to the FOUP placement section 11 and includes a substrate transfer device 13 and a transfer section 14. The substrate transfer device 13 includes a wafer holding mechanism that holds the wafer W. The substrate transfer device 13 is capable of moving in the horizontal and vertical directions and rotating about a vertical axis, and transfers the wafer W between the FOUP H and the transfer section 14 using the wafer holding mechanism.

[0016] The processing station 3 is provided adjacent to the transport section 12. The processing station 3 includes a transport section 15 and a plurality of processing units 16. The plurality of processing units 16 are provided side by side on both sides of the transport section 15.

[0017] The transfer section 15 includes a substrate transfer device 17 therein. The substrate transfer device 17 includes a wafer holding mechanism that holds the wafer W. The substrate transfer device 17 is capable of moving in the horizontal and vertical directions and rotating about a vertical axis, and transfers the wafer W between the delivery section 14 and the processing unit 16 using the wafer holding mechanism.

[0018] The processing unit 16 performs predetermined substrate processing on the wafer W transferred by the substrate transfer device 17 .

[0019] The substrate processing system 1 also includes a control device 4. The control device 4 is, for example, a computer, and includes a control unit 18 and a storage unit 19. The storage unit 19 stores programs that control various processes executed in the substrate processing system 1. The control unit 18 controls the operation of the substrate processing system 1 by reading and executing the programs stored in the storage unit 19.

[0020] Such a program may be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium and installed from that storage medium into the storage unit 19 of the control device 4. Examples of computer-readable storage media include hard disks (HDs), flexible disks (FDs), compact disks (CDs), magnetic optical disks (MOs), and memory cards.

[0021] In the substrate processing system 1 configured as described above, first, the substrate transfer device 13 in the loading / unloading station 2 removes the wafer W from the FOUP H placed on the FOUP placement unit 11 and places the removed wafer W on the delivery unit 14. The wafer W placed on the delivery unit 14 is then removed from the delivery unit 14 by the substrate transfer device 17 in the processing station 3 and carried into the processing unit 16.

[0022] The wafer W carried into the processing unit 16 is processed by the processing unit 16, and then carried out of the processing unit 16 by the substrate transfer device 17 and placed on the delivery section 14. Then, the processed wafer W placed on the delivery section 14 is returned to the FOUP H of the FOUP placement section 11 by the substrate transfer device 13.

[0023] <Processing unit configuration> Next, the configuration of the processing unit 16 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a specific configuration of the processing unit 16. As shown in Fig. 2, the processing unit 16 includes a chamber 20, a substrate processing section 30, a liquid supply section 40, a collection cup 50, and a camera 60.

[0024] The chamber 20 accommodates the substrate processing unit 30, the liquid supply unit 40, the collection cup 50, and the camera 60. An FFU (Fan Filter Unit) 21 is provided on the ceiling of the chamber 20. The FFU 21 forms a downflow within the chamber 20.

[0025] The substrate processing unit 30 includes a holder 31, a support 32, and a drive unit 33, and performs liquid processing on a placed wafer W. The holder 31 holds the wafer W horizontally. The support 32 is a member extending in the vertical direction, and its base end is rotatably supported by the drive unit 33, with its tip end supporting the holder 31 horizontally. The drive unit 33 rotates the support 32 around a vertical axis.

[0026] The substrate processing unit 30 rotates the support column 32 using the drive unit 33, thereby rotating the holder 31 supported by the support column 32, and thereby rotating the wafer W held by the holder 31.

[0027] The holder 31 holds the wafer W horizontally, for example, by adsorbing the lower surface of the wafer W. The holder 31 is not limited to an adsorption chuck, and may be an electrostatic chuck or a chuck that grips the peripheral edge of the wafer W. The wafer W is held by the holder 31 with the surface on which substrate processing is performed (hereinafter also referred to as the upper surface) facing upward.

[0028] The liquid supply unit 40 supplies a processing fluid to the wafer W. The liquid supply unit 40 includes a nozzle 41a, an arm 42a that horizontally supports the nozzle 41a, and a swivel / lift mechanism 43a that swivels and raises / lowers the arm 42a. The swivel / lift mechanism 43a is an example of a moving mechanism.

[0029] Furthermore, the liquid supply unit 40 includes a nozzle 41b, an arm 42b that horizontally supports the nozzle 41b, and a pivoting and lifting mechanism 43b that pivots and raises and lowers the arm 42b.

[0030] The nozzle 41a is connected to a processing liquid supply source 46a via a valve 44a and a flow rate regulator 45a. The processing liquid supply source 46a is a tank that stores a processing liquid. The processing liquid is, for example, at least one of HF (hydrofluoric acid), HF / HNO (hydrofluoric-nitric acid), HF / HNO / CHCOOH (hydrofluoric acid-nitric acid-acetic acid mixed acid), SC1 (ammonia-hydrogen peroxide solution mixed liquid), and TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide).

[0031] Furthermore, for example, a thin film (for example, at least one of an oxide film, a nitride film, and a silicon film) that can be etched by the above-mentioned processing liquid is formed on the surface of the wafer W. This allows a desired liquid processing (for example, an etching process) to be performed by the processing liquid in the embodiment.

[0032] The nozzle 41b is connected to a DIW supply source 46b via a valve 44b and a flow rate regulator 45b. The DIW supply source 46b is, for example, a tank that stores DIW (Deionized Water). The DIW is used, for example, for rinsing the wafer W.

[0033] In the example of FIG. 2, the liquid supply unit 40 supplies a processing liquid and a rinsing liquid (DIW) to the wafer W, but the present disclosure is not limited to such an example, and the liquid supply unit 40 may be configured to supply other chemical liquids (for example, a cleaning liquid) to the wafer W.

[0034] Collection cup 50 is disposed to surround holder 31, and collects the processing liquid scattered from wafer W by the rotation of holder 31. A drainage port 51 is formed in the bottom of collection cup 50, and the processing liquid collected by collection cup 50 is discharged from drainage port 51 to the outside of processing unit 16. In addition, an exhaust port 52 is formed in the bottom of collection cup 50, which discharges gas supplied from FFU 21 to the outside of processing unit 16.

[0035] The camera 60 is an example of a film thickness measuring unit, and is disposed, for example, above the wafer W. In the embodiment, the camera 60 captures an image of a liquid film of the processing liquid formed on the upper surface of the wafer W by the processing liquid supplied from the nozzle 41 a to the wafer W, thereby making it possible to measure the film thickness of the processing liquid over the entire upper surface of the wafer W.

[0036] For example, in the present disclosure, the camera 60 captures an image of the liquid film of the processing liquid on the entire upper surface of the wafer W, thereby enabling film thicknesses at multiple measurement points set in advance on the entire upper surface of the wafer W to be measured collectively.

[0037] <Details of liquid treatment> Next, details of the liquid treatment according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3 to Fig. 5. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control device 4 according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the control device 4 includes a control unit 18 and a storage unit 19.

[0038] The control device 4 is also connected to the above-described substrate processing unit 30, liquid supply unit 40, and camera 60. In addition to the functional units shown in Fig. 3, the control device 4 may also have various functional units that known computers have, such as various input devices and audio output devices.

[0039] The storage unit 19 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. The storage unit 19 has a film thickness information storage unit 19a. The storage unit 19 also stores information used in processing by the control unit 18.

[0040] The film thickness information storage unit 19a stores various information related to the film thickness of the processing liquid formed on the wafer W. For example, the film thickness information storage unit 19a stores information related to the behavior of the film thickness of the processing liquid over the entire upper surface of the wafer W in association with the rotation speed of the wafer W, the supply amount of the processing liquid, and the position and movement speed of the nozzle 41a.

[0041] The control unit 18 is realized by, for example, a CPU, a micro processing unit (MPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or the like executing a program stored in the storage unit 19 using the RAM as a working area.

[0042] Furthermore, the control unit 18 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0043] The control unit 18 has an acquisition unit 18a, a determination unit 18b, and a film thickness control unit 18c, and realizes or executes the functions and actions of the control processing described below. Note that the internal configuration of the control unit 18 is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 3, and may be any other configuration as long as it performs the control processing described below.

[0044] The acquiring unit 18a acquires information about the film thickness of the processing liquid over the entire upper surface of the wafer W from the camera 60. The acquiring unit 18a, for example, acquires film thicknesses at a plurality of measurement points set in advance over the entire upper surface of the wafer W all at once as needed.

[0045] The determination unit 18b determines whether the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points acquired by the acquisition unit 18a is greater than or equal to a given lower limit (for example, 5 (μm)) and less than or equal to a given upper limit (for example, 260 (μm)).

[0046] Based on the determination result of determination unit 18b, film thickness control unit 18c controls the operations of substrate processing unit 30 and liquid supply unit 40. For example, when the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points is equal to or greater than the lower limit and equal to or less than the upper limit, film thickness control unit 18c maintains the operations of substrate processing unit 30 and liquid supply unit 40 in the state of a preset recipe.

[0047] On the other hand, when the film thickness of the processing liquid at a certain measurement point is less than the lower limit or more than the upper limit, the film thickness control unit 18c changes the operation of the substrate processing unit 30 and the liquid supply unit 40 from the recipe state so that the film thickness of the processing liquid at that measurement point is greater than the lower limit and less than the upper limit.

[0048] In this case, the film thickness control unit 18c changes the operations of the substrate processing unit 30 and the liquid supply unit 40, for example, based on the information stored in the film thickness information storage unit 19a.

[0049] For example, when the film thickness of the processing liquid at a certain measurement point is less than the lower limit, the film thickness control unit 18c controls the rotation speed of the wafer W held in the holding unit 31 to be lower than the rotation speed specified in the recipe, so that the film thickness of the processing liquid at that measurement point becomes equal to or greater than the lower limit.

[0050] Furthermore, when the film thickness of the processing liquid at a certain measurement point is less than the lower limit, the film thickness control unit 18c may control the film thickness of the processing liquid at that measurement point to be equal to or greater than the lower limit by increasing the supply amount of the processing liquid supplied from the liquid supply unit 40 from the supply amount specified in the recipe.

[0051] In addition, when the film thickness of the processing liquid at a certain measurement point is less than the lower limit, the film thickness control unit 18c may control the film thickness of the processing liquid at that measurement point to be equal to or greater than the lower limit by reducing the rotation speed of the wafer W and increasing the supply amount of the processing liquid.

[0052] For example, when the film thickness of the processing liquid at a certain measurement point exceeds an upper limit, the film thickness control unit 18c controls the film thickness of the processing liquid at that measurement point to be equal to or less than the upper limit by increasing the rotation speed of the wafer W held in the holding unit 31 from the rotation speed specified in the recipe.

[0053] In addition, when the film thickness of the processing liquid at a certain measurement point exceeds an upper limit, the film thickness control unit 18c may control the film thickness of the processing liquid at that measurement point to be equal to or less than the upper limit by reducing the supply amount of the processing liquid supplied from the liquid supply unit 40 from the supply amount specified in the recipe.

[0054] In addition, when the film thickness of the processing liquid at a certain measurement point exceeds an upper limit, the film thickness control unit 18c may control the film thickness of the processing liquid at that measurement point to be equal to or less than the upper limit by increasing the rotation speed of the wafer W and reducing the supply amount of the processing liquid.

[0055] In this manner, in the embodiment, by controlling the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points to be equal to or greater than the lower limit and equal to or less than the upper limit, it is possible to perform the desired liquid processing with high precision over the entire upper surface of the wafer W. The reason for this will be explained below.

[0056] In the embodiment, by controlling the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points to be equal to or greater than the lower limit, it is possible to prevent localized breakup of the processing liquid on the wafer W. This makes it possible to prevent desired liquid processing from not being performed in part of the wafer W due to breakup of the processing liquid.

[0057] Furthermore, in the embodiment, as a result of extensive research by the inventors of the present application, it became clear that the desired liquid processing cannot be performed with precision simply by making the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points equal to or greater than the lower limit value.

[0058] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a film thickness distribution of a processing liquid over the entire upper surface of a wafer W in a liquid processing according to an embodiment, and Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of an etching amount distribution over the entire upper surface of a wafer W in a liquid processing according to an embodiment.

[0059] 4, in the liquid processing according to the embodiment, there are areas on the wafer W where the film thickness of the processing liquid is locally large. For example, measurement point A shown in FIG. 4 is the area where the processing liquid is directly ejected from the nozzle 41a. Measurement point B is an area where the film thickness is large (a so-called splash area) that is formed in a ring shape a little distance away from the area where the processing liquid is ejected (i.e., measurement point A).

[0060] In addition, in the liquid processing according to the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, it was found that the etching amount by the processing liquid decreases in areas where the film thickness of the processing liquid is large (for example, measurement points A and B).

[0061] Furthermore, in the embodiment, it was found that the etching amount drops sharply when the film thickness of the processing liquid exceeds a given upper limit (for example, 260 (μm)). This is presumably because the processing liquid becomes less replaceable on the surface of the wafer W when the film thickness of the processing liquid is greater than the upper limit.

[0062] That is, in the embodiment, by controlling at least one of the rotation speed of the wafer W and the supply amount of the processing liquid so that the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points is equal to or less than a given upper limit, it is possible to prevent the desired liquid processing from not being performed on a part of the wafer W. Therefore, according to the embodiment, the desired liquid processing can be performed accurately over the entire top surface of the wafer W.

[0063] In addition, in the embodiment, the film thickness control unit 18c may control each unit so that the film thickness at all measurement points on the wafer W is always equal to or less than a given upper limit. In this case, for example, from the point when the film thickness at a certain measurement point exceeds the given upper limit, the film thickness control unit 18c controls each unit so that the film thickness at that measurement point is equal to or less than the given upper limit.

[0064] This makes it possible to shorten the time during which the film thickness at a certain measurement point exceeds a given upper limit, thereby enabling the desired liquid processing to be performed over the entire upper surface of the wafer W with greater precision.

[0065] In addition, in the embodiment, the film thickness control unit 18c may control each unit so that the average film thickness per unit time at all measurement points on the wafer W is equal to or less than a given upper limit value.

[0066] In this case, for example, when the average film thickness at a certain measurement point in a unit time exceeds a given upper limit, the film thickness control unit 18c controls each part so that the film thickness at that measurement point is equal to or less than the given upper limit from the next unit time.

[0067] This unit time is, for example, the period it takes for the nozzle 41a to make one round trip between above the central portion and above the peripheral portion of the wafer W. This also makes it possible to perform the desired liquid processing over the entire top surface of the wafer W with high precision.

[0068] In addition, in an embodiment, when the supply temperature of the processing liquid is 20 (°C) or more and less than 60 (°C), the film thickness control unit 18c may control each part so that the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points on the wafer W is 5 (μm) or more and 260 (μm) or less.

[0069] In this way, when the temperature of the processing liquid is not too high, the effect of the heat of vaporization on etching at the outer periphery of the wafer W is small, so even if the range of film thickness of the processing liquid is wide, the desired liquid processing can be performed accurately over the entire upper surface of the wafer W.

[0070] In addition, in an embodiment, when the supply temperature of the processing liquid is 60 (°C) or more and less than 80 (°C), the film thickness control unit 18c may control each part so that the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points on the wafer W is 200 (μm) or more and 260 (μm) or less.

[0071] In this way, when the temperature of the processing liquid is high, the effect on etching due to the heat of vaporization at the outer periphery of the wafer W is large, so by narrowing the range of film thickness of the processing liquid, the desired liquid processing can be performed accurately over the entire top surface of the wafer W.

[0072] In the explanation so far, an example has been shown in which the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points is controlled to be equal to or less than a given upper limit value by controlling at least one of the rotation speed of the wafer W and the supply amount of the processing liquid, but the present disclosure is not limited to such an example.

[0073] For example, the film thickness control unit 18c may control the moving speed of the nozzle 41a so that the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points on the wafer W is equal to or less than a given upper limit.

[0074] For example, if the film thickness of the processing liquid at the peripheral portion of the wafer W exceeds a given upper limit, the film thickness control unit 18c can reduce the film thickness of the processing liquid at the peripheral portion of the wafer W by quickly moving the nozzle 41a toward above the center of the wafer W.

[0075] In this way, by controlling the movement speed of the nozzle 41 a, the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points can be controlled to be equal to or less than a given upper limit value. Therefore, according to the embodiment, the desired liquid processing can be performed with high precision over the entire upper surface of the wafer W.

[0076] In addition, in the embodiment, the camera 60 may be disposed above the wafer W. This allows the single camera 60 to measure the film thickness of the processing liquid on the entire upper surface of the wafer W, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the processing unit 16.

[0077] It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the case where the camera 60 is disposed above the wafer W, and for example, the camera 60 may be disposed to the side of the wafer W. Also, in the present disclosure, the film thickness measurement unit is not limited to a camera, and for example, by disposing a plurality of laser displacement meters above the wafer W, film thicknesses at a plurality of measurement points set in advance over the entire upper surface of the wafer W may be measured collectively.

[0078] The substrate processing apparatus (substrate processing system 1) according to the embodiment includes a holder 31, a liquid supply unit 40, a film thickness measurement unit (camera 60), and a controller 18. The holder 31 holds and rotates a substrate (wafer W). The liquid supply unit 40 supplies a processing liquid to the substrate (wafer W) held by the holder 31. The film thickness measurement unit (camera 60) measures the film thickness of the processing liquid over the entire upper surface of the substrate (wafer W). The controller 18 controls each component. The controller 18 also controls at least one of the rotation speed of the substrate (wafer W) and the supply amount of the processing liquid so that the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points on the substrate (wafer W) is equal to or less than a given value. This allows the desired liquid processing to be performed accurately over the entire upper surface of the wafer W.

[0079] In the substrate processing apparatus (substrate processing system 1) according to the embodiment, the liquid supply unit 40 includes a nozzle 41a that discharges the processing liquid and a movement mechanism (rotating lift mechanism 43a) that moves the nozzle 41a in a horizontal direction. The control unit 18 controls the movement speed of the nozzle 41a so that the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points on the substrate (wafer W) is equal to or less than a given value. This allows the desired liquid processing to be performed accurately over the entire top surface of the wafer W.

[0080] Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus (substrate processing system 1) according to the embodiment, the control unit 18 controls at least one of the rotation speed of the substrate (wafer W) and the supply amount of the processing liquid so that the film thickness at all measurement points on the substrate (wafer W) is always equal to or less than a given value. This allows the desired liquid processing to be performed more accurately over the entire top surface of the wafer W.

[0081] Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus (substrate processing system 1) according to the embodiment, the control unit 18 controls at least one of the rotation speed of the substrate (wafer W) and the supply amount of the processing liquid so that the average film thickness per unit time at all measurement points on the substrate (wafer W) is equal to or less than a given value. This allows the desired liquid processing to be performed accurately over the entire top surface of the wafer W.

[0082] Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment, the control unit 18 controls at least one of the rotation speed of the substrate and the supply amount of the processing liquid so that the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points on the substrate is 5 μm to 260 μm when the supply temperature of the processing liquid is equal to or higher than 20° C. and lower than 60° C. This allows the desired liquid processing to be performed accurately over the entire top surface of the wafer W.

[0083] Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment, when the supply temperature of the processing liquid is equal to or higher than 60° C. and lower than 80° C., the control unit 18 controls at least one of the rotation speed of the substrate and the supply amount of the processing liquid so that the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points on the substrate is 200 μm to 260 μm. This allows the desired liquid processing to be performed accurately over the entire upper surface of the wafer W.

[0084] Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus (substrate processing system 1) according to the embodiment, the film thickness measurement unit (camera 60) is disposed above the substrate (wafer W). This allows the manufacturing cost of the processing unit 16 to be reduced.

[0085] Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus (substrate processing system 1) according to the embodiment, at least one of an oxide film, a nitride film, and a silicon film is formed on the surface of the substrate (wafer W). This allows the desired liquid processing to be performed over the entire upper surface of the wafer W with high precision.

[0086] In the substrate processing apparatus (substrate processing system 1) according to the embodiment, the processing liquid is at least one of HF, HF / HNO, HF / HNO / CHCOOH, SC, and TMAH, thereby enabling the desired liquid processing to be performed over the entire top surface of the wafer W with high precision.

[0087] <Control processing procedure> Next, the procedure of the control process according to the embodiment and the modified example will be described with reference to Fig. 6 and Fig. 7. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the control process executed by the substrate processing system 1 according to the embodiment.

[0088] In the control process according to the embodiment, first, the control unit 18 holds the wafer W carried into the processing unit 16 in the holding unit 31 (step S101). Then, the control unit 18 controls the substrate processing unit 30 and the like to rotate the wafer W at a given rotation speed (step S102).

[0089] Next, the control unit 18 controls the liquid supply unit 40 and the like to supply the processing liquid at a given supply amount onto the wafer W (step S103). Then, the control unit 18 controls the camera 60 and the like to measure the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points on the wafer W (step S104).

[0090] Next, the control unit 18 determines whether the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points is equal to or greater than a given lower limit (step S105). If the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points is equal to or greater than the given lower limit (step S105, Yes), the control unit 18 determines whether the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points is equal to or less than a given upper limit (step S106).

[0091] If the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points is equal to or less than the given upper limit (Yes in step S106), the control unit 18 determines whether or not a given processing time with the processing liquid has elapsed (step S107). If the given processing time with the processing liquid has elapsed (Yes in step S107), the control unit 18 stops supplying the processing liquid to the wafer W (step S108).

[0092] Next, the control unit 18 performs a rinse process using DIW on the wafer W after the liquid process using the processing liquid has been completed (step S109).Then, the control unit performs a drying process using spin drying or the like on the wafer W after the rinse process has been completed (step S110).

[0093] Finally, the control unit 18 unloads the wafer W after the drying process from the processing unit 16 (step S111), and ends the series of control processes.

[0094] On the other hand, in the processing of step S105 described above, if the film thickness of the processing liquid at a certain measurement point is not equal to or greater than a given lower limit (step S105, No), the control unit 18 controls at least one of the substrate processing unit 30 and the liquid supply unit 40 (step S112).

[0095] In this case, the control unit 18 controls each unit so that the film thickness of the treatment liquid at all measurement points is equal to or greater than a given lower limit, and then the process returns to step S104.

[0096] Furthermore, in the process of step S106 described above, if the film thickness of the processing liquid at a certain measurement point is not equal to or less than a given upper limit value (step S106, No), the control unit 18 controls at least one of the substrate processing unit 30 and the liquid supply unit 40 (step S112).

[0097] In this case, the control unit 18 controls each unit so that the film thickness of the treatment liquid at all measurement points is equal to or less than a given upper limit value, and then the process returns to step S104.

[0098] Furthermore, in the process of step S107 described above, if the given processing time with the processing liquid has not elapsed (step S107, No), the process returns to step S104.

[0099] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing another example of the procedure of the control process executed by the substrate processing system 1 according to the embodiment.

[0100] In another example of the control process, first, the control unit 18 holds the wafer W carried into the processing unit 16 in the holding unit 31 (step S201). Then, the control unit 18 controls the substrate processing unit 30 and the like to rotate the wafer W at a given rotation speed (step S202).

[0101] Next, the control unit 18 controls the liquid supply unit 40 and the like to supply the processing liquid at a given supply amount onto the wafer W (step S203). Then, the control unit 18 controls the camera 60 and the like to measure the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points on the wafer W (step S204).

[0102] Next, the control unit 18 determines whether the average film thickness of the processing liquid per unit time at all measurement points is equal to or greater than a given lower limit (step S205). If the average film thickness at all measurement points is equal to or greater than the given lower limit (step S205, Yes), the control unit 18 determines whether the average film thickness of the processing liquid per unit time at all measurement points is equal to or less than a given upper limit (step S206).

[0103] If the average film thickness at all measurement points is equal to or less than the given upper limit (Yes in step S206), the control unit 18 determines whether or not a given processing time with the processing liquid has elapsed (step S207). If the given processing time with the processing liquid has elapsed (Yes in step S207), the control unit 18 stops supplying the processing liquid to the wafer W (step S208).

[0104] Next, the control unit 18 performs a rinse process using DIW on the wafer W after the liquid process using the processing liquid has been completed (step S209). Then, the control unit performs a drying process using spin drying or the like on the wafer W after the rinse process has been completed (step S210).

[0105] Finally, the control unit 18 unloads the wafer W after the drying process from the processing unit 16 (step S211), and ends the series of control processes.

[0106] On the other hand, in the process of step S205 described above, if the average film thickness at a certain measurement point is not equal to or greater than the given lower limit (step S205, No), the control unit 18 controls at least one of the substrate processing unit 30 and the liquid supply unit 40 (step S212).

[0107] In this case, the control unit 18 controls each unit so that the average film thickness of the treatment liquid at all measurement points becomes equal to or greater than the given lower limit in the next unit time, and then returns to the process of step S204.

[0108] Furthermore, in the process of step S206 described above, if the average film thickness at a certain measurement point is not equal to or less than the given upper limit (step S206, No), the control unit 18 controls at least one of the substrate processing unit 30 and the liquid supply unit 40 (step S212).

[0109] In this case, the control unit 18 controls each unit so that the average film thickness of the treatment liquid at all measurement points becomes equal to or less than the given upper limit value in the next unit time, and then returns to the process of step S204.

[0110] Furthermore, in the process of step S207 described above, if the given processing time with the processing liquid has not elapsed (step S207, No), the process returns to the process of step S204.

[0111] The substrate processing method according to the embodiment includes a holding step (steps S101 and S201), a supplying step (steps S103 and S203), a measuring step (steps S104 and S204), and a controlling step (steps S112 and S212). The holding step (steps S101 and S201) holds a substrate (wafer W). The supplying step (steps S103 and S203) supplies a processing liquid to the substrate (wafer W) while rotating the substrate (wafer W). The measuring step (steps S104 and S204) measures the film thickness of the processing liquid over the entire upper surface of the substrate (wafer W). The controlling step (steps S112 and S212) controls at least one of the rotation speed of the substrate (wafer W) and the supply amount of the processing liquid so that the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points on the substrate (wafer W) is equal to or less than a given value. This allows for the desired liquid processing to be performed accurately over the entire upper surface of the wafer W.

[0112] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0113] The disclosed embodiments should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Indeed, the above-described embodiments may be embodied in various forms. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments may be omitted, substituted, or modified in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] W wafer (an example of a substrate) 1. Substrate processing system (an example of a substrate processing device) 4. Control device 16 Processing Unit 18 Control Unit 18a Acquisition Department 18b Judgment section 18c Film Thickness Control Unit 19 Memory section 19a Film thickness information storage section 31 Holding part 40 Liquid supply section 41a Nozzle 43a Swivel lifting mechanism (an example of a moving mechanism) 60 Camera (example of film thickness measurement section)

Claims

1. a holder that holds and rotates the substrate; a liquid supply unit that supplies a processing liquid for performing an etching process on the substrate held by the holder; a film thickness measuring unit for measuring a film thickness of the processing liquid over the entire upper surface of the substrate; a control unit that controls each unit; Equipped with The control unit controls at least one of the rotation speed of the substrate and the supply amount of the processing liquid so that the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points on the substrate is always 5 (μm) or more and 260 (μm) or less. Substrate processing equipment.

2. the liquid supply unit includes a nozzle that discharges the processing liquid and a movement mechanism that moves the nozzle in a horizontal direction; The control unit controls the movement speed of the nozzle so that the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points on the substrate is always 5 (μm) or more and 260 (μm) or less. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. The control unit controls the supply temperature of the treatment liquid so that the supply temperature of the treatment liquid is equal to or higher than 20 (°C) and lower than 60 (°C). The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The film thickness measuring unit is disposed above the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

5. At least one of an oxide film, a nitride film, and a silicon film is formed on the surface of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The treatment liquid is HF, HF / HNO ３ , HF / HNO ３ / CH ３ At least one of COOH, SC1 and TMAH The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

7. holding a substrate; supplying a processing solution for etching the substrate while rotating the substrate; measuring a film thickness of the treatment liquid over the entire top surface of the substrate; controlling at least one of the rotation speed of the substrate and the supply amount of the processing liquid so that the film thickness of the processing liquid at all measurement points on the substrate is always 5 (μm) or more and 260 (μm) or less; A substrate processing method comprising:

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